This thesis contains three studies. The first study examined the relationship between bilingualism/biscriptalism and working memory performance. Forty-two English monolingual and forty -five Chinese-English bili ngual adults participated in the research . Participants performed verbal shortterm, verbal working memory, visuospatial short-term, and visuo-spatial working memory tasks in their native language. Bilinguals also performed these tasks in their second language (L1). Results showed bilingual disadvantage in L1 verbal working memory. but bilingual advantage in visuo-spatial working memory regardless of language used. A robust relationship was found between L2 proficiency and verbal short-term and working memory in L2. LI proficiency predicted verbal and visuo-spatial short-term memory performance in less LI dominant bilinguals. The second study assessed the involvement of working memory in numerical cognition. Participants performcd numerical magnitude and physical size judgement tasks under no suppression, visuo-spatial suppression, or verbal suppression, with horizontal or vertical presentation, in neutral, congruent or incongruent conditions. The third study assessed the role of working memory in simple multiplication and subtraction. Participants performed multiplication and subtraction tasks under no suppression, visuo-spatial suppression, or verbal suppression, with horizontal or veltical presentation, in congruent or incongruent conditions. Results from both second and third studies revealed tbat bilinguals generally performed faster than monolinguals in the tasks. Also in both studies. further analysis showed accuracy to be a better determinant of performance difference between bilinguals and monolinguals. Performance differed between the language groups within the suppression and congruency levels in the multiplication task. Correlational analyses showed a relationship between bilinguals L2 verbal working memory performance in numerical magnitude. physical size, and multiplication processing. In addition, bilinguals' LI verbal working memory and L2 vi suo-spatial working memory were involved in physical size and multiplication processing. Results were discussed as to the underlying mechanism shared between working memory and accuracy processes in the numerical and arithmetical tasks.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:598025 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Ahmad Nizar, Yanti Marina |
| Publisher | Queen's University Belfast |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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