Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

Relationship Between Bilingual Verbal Working Memory and Language Dominance

Shengzi SunTeachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York, 10027, United States*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to explore how language dominance impacts bilingual individuals’ verbal working memory. The study recruited 36 participants who are bilingual in both English and Chinese Mandarin age between 18 to 25 years old. In 90-minute experimental sessions, participants’ verbal working memory capacities both English and Chinese were measured by Following Instruction. And their language proficiencies in both English and Chinese were measured by Elicited Imitation Test. The result shows that Chinese dominant bilingual participants’ verbal working memory capacity were significantly impacted by their language dominance, but English bilingual participants’ verbal working memory capacity were not significantly impacted by their language dominance. Future research should consider to study whether Following Instructions is a reliable measure for bilingual populations’ verbal working memory.

Keywords: Elicited Imitation Test; Following Instruction; Bilingual verbal working memory; Language dominance
Published: February 28, 2023
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2/2022398
Volume: CHR Vol.2
pp. 368-373
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