Visual and auditory digit-span performance in native and non-native speakers. (December 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Olsthoorn, Nomi M.; Andringa, Sible; Hulstijn, Jan H.
• Is Part Of: International journal of bilingualism. Volume 18:Number 6(2014)
• Page Start: 663
• Page End: 673
• Publication Date: 2014-12
• Subjects: Bilingual digit span -- visual digit span -- auditory digit span -- forward digit span -- backward digit span -- verbal working memory; Bilingualism -- Periodicals; Bilingualism -- Research -- Periodicals; Language acquisition -- Periodicals; 306.446072
• DOI: 10.1177/1367006912466314
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1367-0069

Abstract

We compared 121 native and 114 non-native speakers of Dutch (with 35 different first languages) on four digit-span tasks, varying modality (visual/auditory) and direction (forward/backward). An interaction was observed between nativeness and modality, such that, while natives performed better than the non-natives on the auditory tasks (which were performed in the non-natives' second language), performance on the visual tasks (which was performed in participants' dominant language) did not significantly differ between natives and non-natives. The interaction between nativeness and modality disappeared when the data were corrected for Dutch proficiency. Correction for Dutch proficiency elevated non-native speakers' scores on the auditory tasks, without altering the non-natives' digit-span rank order. Despite considerable differences in mean length of the digit names zero to nine in the non-natives' first languages, these differences were not significantly correlated with their visual digit-span scores. While further research is needed on the sources of variation in digit-span performance, we recommend the use of the visual digit-span task (forward or backward) for cross-linguistic research and advise researchers to be aware of the association between language proficiency and verbal working-memory performance.