Friedman Naomi P
University of Colorado at Boulder.
Linguist Approaches Biling. 2016;6(5):535-548. doi: 10.1075/lab.15041.fri. Epub 2016 May 10.
Executive functions (EFs), such as response inhibition, interference control, and set shifting, are general-purpose control mechanisms that enable individuals to regulate their thoughts and behaviors. Because bilingual individuals use EF-like processes during language control, researchers have become interested in the hypothesis that this use might train EFs, resulting in better performance on non-linguistic EF tasks. Although this bilingual advantage hypothesis seems straightforward to test, it involves a number of important decisions in terms of how to assess bilingualism and EFs. In this article, I focus on the complexity of measuring EFs, drawing on individual differences research (conducted with participants not selected for bilingualism). Specifically, I discuss issues related to (1) the measurement of EFs (particularly the effects of task impurity and unreliability) and (2) the multicomponent nature of EFs. Within each of these topics, I elaborate on consequences for research on bilingual advantages and provide some recommendations.
执行功能（EFs），如反应抑制、干扰控制和任务转换，是一些通用的控制机制，使个体能够调节自己的思维和行为。由于双语者在语言控制过程中会使用类似执行功能的过程，研究人员开始关注这样一种假设，即这种使用可能会训练执行功能，从而在非语言执行功能任务上表现得更好。尽管这种双语优势假设似乎很容易检验，但在如何评估双语能力和执行功能方面涉及许多重要决策。在本文中，我借鉴个体差异研究（针对未因双语能力而被挑选的参与者进行），重点探讨测量执行功能的复杂性。具体来说，我将讨论与以下两个方面相关的问题：（1）执行功能的测量（特别是任务不纯和不可靠性的影响）以及（2）执行功能的多成分性质。在每个主题中，我都会详细阐述对双语优势研究的影响并提供一些建议。
