Attention control and ability level in a complex cognitive skill : Attention shifting and second-language proficiency

In this study, we investigated the relationship between attention control and proficiency in a complex cognitive skill. The participants were English-French bilinguals with varying degrees of second-language (French) proficiency. Proficiency was operationalized as efficiency of lexical access in an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Memory & cognition 2005-06, Vol.33 (4), p.644-653
Main Authors: SEGALOWITZ, Norman, FRENKIEL-FISHMAN, Sarah
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ability
Adult
Aptitude
Attention
Bilingualism
Bilingualism. Multilingualism
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition
Cognition & reasoning
Female
French as a second language
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Language
Language acquisition
Language proficiency
Linguistics
Male
Memory
Multilingualism
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Reaction Time
Second language learning
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:In this study, we investigated the relationship between attention control and proficiency in a complex cognitive skill. The participants were English-French bilinguals with varying degrees of second-language (French) proficiency. Proficiency was operationalized as efficiency of lexical access in an animacy judgment task, as reflected in the coefficient of variability of response time adjusted for first-language performance on the same task. Attention control was operationalized as the shift cost obtained in a linguistic version of the alternating runs task-switching paradigm. Hierarchical regression revealed that, overall, attention control accounted for 59% of the variance of proficiency and that second-language attention control alone accounted for 32% of the unique variance of proficiency, indicating a high degree of skill domain (second language) specificity in the relationship between attention control and proficiency. The results speak to issues regarding the development of expertise, second-language acquisition, and a cognitive linguistic approach to language and attention.
ISSN:0090-502X
1532-5946
DOI:10.3758/bf03195331