Spatial working memory advantage of proficient Chinese-English bilinguals under interference of negative emotion
ZHAO Yi, BAI Xingyu, JIAO Jiangli
School of Psychology, Xinjiang Normal University; Key Laboratory of Mental Development and Learning Science of Xinjang, Urumqi 830017, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China
Abstract：Objective To explore whether proficient Chinese-English bilinguals possessed cognitive advantages in spatial working memory tasks under the interference of negative emotion. Methods A mixed experimental design of 2 (participants type: proficient Chinese-English bilinguals vs. non-proficient Chinese-English bilinguals) × 2 (valence of distractors: neutral emotion vs. negative emotion) was conducted. The reaction time and accuracy of the participants in the 2 -back task of spatial working memory were recorded under the interference of neutral and negative emotional stimuli, and repeated measures ANOVA and simple effect analysis were applied. Results The participants’ reaction time was longer and the accuracy was lower under the interference of negative emotional stimuli. In the condition of neutral stimuli, the difference of accuracy between proficient Chinese-English bilinguals and non-proficient Chinese-English bilinguals was marginal. The accuracy of the proficient Chinese-English bilinguals was significantly higher than that of the non-proficient Chinese-English bilinguals under the interference of negative emotional stimuli. Conclusion Negative emotions impaire participants’ performance in spatial working memory tasks. Proficient Chinese-English bilinguals present cognitive advantages in spatial working memory under the interference of negative emotional stimuli.
