THE RESEARCH OF BIMODAL BILINGUALISM FROM THE COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY PERSPECTIVE

THE RESEARCH OF BIMODAL BILINGUALISM FROM THE COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY PERSPECTIVE

Author:  K.M. Iriskhanova¹, A.P. Guseva¹, M.I. Yasin²

Affiliation:  ¹ Moscow State Linguistic University, ² Plekhanov Russian University of Economics

Abstract:  The article deals with the results of an experimental research of bimodal bilingualism (spoken language + signed language) which differs from unimodal bilingualism (spoken language + spoken language or signed language + signed language).

The subject matter of the present research is the development of human cognitive functions in the process of intensive second language acquisition. Russian sign language which has never been investigated from this perspective, becomes the object of the cognitive experiment. In the study the authors used a set of cognitive tests aimed at measuring brain functions: working memory span, non-verbal intellect, stable attention, distribution of attention and irrelevant information suppression.

The analyzed data reveal that hearing individuals who already had knowledge of one sign language and started learning another sign language demonstrated a greater degree of cognitive plasticity than hearing individuals who had not known any sign language before the experiment.

The results of the research are socially relevant and important for Deaf communities: education and professional training of deaf people, training of sign language interpreters, cognitive sign language linguistics, clinical psychology, neurology.

Keywords:  sign language, bimodal bilingualism, working memory, distribution of attention,
suppression of irrelevant information, interaction index.

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Acknowledgments:  The research which is carried out at MSLU is financially supported by the Russian Science Foundation,
project No. 16-18-00070.

For citation:  Iriskhanova, K. M., Guseva, A. P., & Yasin, M. I. (2018). The research of bimodal bilingualism from the cognitive psychology perspective // Voprosy Kognitivnoy Lingvistiki, 4, 108-114. (In Russ.).

Pages:  108-114