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Phonological and visual similarity effects in Chinese and English language users: Implications for the use of cognitive resources in short-term memory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 February 2010

RACHEL L. COLE  and
SUSAN J. PICKERING
RACHEL L. COLE*
Affiliation:
University College London
SUSAN J. PICKERING
Affiliation:
University of Bristol
*
Address for correspondence: Rachel L. Cole, Educational Psychology Group, Department of Psychology, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AP, UKrachel.cole@kent.gov.uk
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Abstract

This study investigated the encoding strategies employed by Chinese and English language users when recalling sequences of pictured objects. The working memory performance of native English participants (n = 14) and Chinese speakers of English as a second language (Chinese ESL; n = 14) was compared using serial recall of visually-presented pictures of familiar objects with three conditions: (i) phonologically and visually distinct, (ii) phonologically similar and visually distinct, and (iii) phonologically distinct and visually similar. Digit span, visual pattern span and articulation rate were also measured. Results indicated that whilst English participants were affected by the phonological but not the visual similarity of items, the performance of Chinese ESL participants was comparable across all three conditions. No significant differences in digit span, visual memory or articulation rate were found between groups. These results are discussed in the light of our understanding of the use of cognitive resources in short-term memory in users of diverse orthographies.

Keywords

bilingual language processingsecond language acquisitionworking memoryphonological similarity effectvisual similarity effect
Type
Research Article
Information
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition , Volume 13 , Issue 4 , October 2010 , pp. 499 - 512
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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