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Language-dependent knowledge acquisition: investigating bilingual arithmetic learning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 October 2017

CHRISTIAN G. K. HAHN ,
HENRIK SAALBACH  and
ROLAND H. GRABNER
CHRISTIAN G. K. HAHN*
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychology, University of Göttingen, Germany Faculty of Education, University of Leipzig, Germany
HENRIK SAALBACH
Affiliation:
Faculty of Education, University of Leipzig, Germany
ROLAND H. GRABNER
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria
*
Address for correspondence: Christian G. K. Hahn, Room 216, Faculty of Education, University of Leipzig, Marschnerstr. 31, 04109 Leipzig[email protected]
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Abstract

Previous studies revealed language-switching costs (LSC) in bilingual learning settings, consisting of performance decreases when problems are solved in a language different from that of instruction. Strong costs have been found for arithmetic fact knowledge. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether LSC in arithmetic also emerge in an auditory learning task and in pure fact learning. Furthermore, we tested whether LSC are influenced by the direction of language-switching. Thirty-three university students learned arithmetic facts of three different operations (i.e., multiplication, subtraction, artificial facts) over a period of four days. The training was either in German or English. On day five, participants solved problems in both languages. Results revealed LSC in response latencies for all three types of problems, independent of the direction of language-switching. These findings suggest that LSC are modality-unspecific and occur independent of the type of arithmetic fact knowledge.

Keywords

bilingual learninglanguage-switching costsarithmetic learningfact knowledge
Type
Research Article
Information
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition , Volume 22 , Issue 1 , January 2019 , pp. 47 - 57
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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Footnotes

I am grateful to Dr. Stephan Vogel, Frieder Schillinger, and Maria Schneider for their support during the process of conducting this research.

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