Item

Abstract

Several lines of evidence suggest the importance of phonological
working memory (PWM) in language acquisition. We investigated
the neural correlates of PWM in young adults who were under
compelling social pressure to be bilingual. Equal bilinguals had
high proficiency in English and Chinese as measured by a standardized
examination, whereas unequal bilinguals were proficient
in English but not Chinese. Both groups were matched on several
measures of nonverbal intelligence and working memory. Inscanner
behavioral results did not show between-group differences.
Of the regions showing load-dependent increments in
activation, the left insula showed greater activation in equal
bilinguals. Unequal bilinguals showed greater task-related deactivation
in the anterior medial frontal region and greater anterior
cingulate activation. Although unequal bilinguals kept apace with
equal bilinguals in the simple PWM task, the differential cortical
activations suggest that more optimal engagement of PWM in the
latter may correlate with better second-language attainment.