San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec




San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec

Bilingual brain activity researched

Utilizing head-mounting, eye-tracking technology, the School of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at San Diego State is conducting high-end research on English and Spanish-speaking bilinguals. By measuring pupil dilation, researchers are able to decipher when a person is concentrating more than usual on a cognitive task. When participants struggle with one of the many audio-visual tasks provided by researchers, their brain tends to work harder. The extra concentration forces them to fixate their eye focus, which causes pupil dilation that is then observed by researchers.

According to SDSU’s Bilingualism and Cognition Laboratory Director Henrike Blumenfeld, the pupil dilation may suggest low proficiency in the language being tested. Other variables that may affect results are also considered. For instance, participants are asked if they are video game enthusiasts or if they know American Sign Language because, according to Blumenfeld, the practice of such language improves peripheral vision, which might give an advantage in eye-tracking tests. Blumenfeld also takes the participant’s weariness during testing into consideration. “It might depend on how tired you are,” journalism junior and research participant Natalia Sevilla said. “I go to the studies after school when I am sleepy and can’t really stare at the screen.” Another factor analyzed is at the speed which monolinguals and bilinguals make the conscious relation between a spoken word and its symbolic counterpart, which is measured by gaze movement. “Eye movement is very subconscious,” Blumenfeld said. “We read the direction the eye goes.”

Blumenfeld said the speed difference found between bilinguals and monolinguals has been subtle, especially among young adults. The difference is more apparent with young children or the elderly. Language and cognitive interaction during aging is one of Blumenfeld’s scholarly areas. Blumenfeld said research suggests the onset of Alzheimer’s might come later for bilingual patients, a delay of approximately four years. If they have this pathology, they can cope longer, having the brain work around it. Additionally, findings have suggested the second language learned is at a higher risk of being lost because Alzheimer’s will typically attack those memories first. Declarative memory, the episodic type of memory housing day-to-day activities as well as autobiographical memory, is more prone to being lost to Alzheimer’s. Implicit memory, which stores familiar and somewhat automatic tasks, is the storage unit of the first language and is rarely vulnerable to Alzheimer’s. Blumenfeld said the truly balanced bilingual—a person equally proficient in two languages—is very rare. Bilinguals retain language in patch work, learning different concepts in each language. Because they use one language in a set of situations and the other in a unique environment, it is difficult for a bilingual person to speak and comprehend both languages equally. Blumenfeld is looking for English-German bilinguals for her upcoming research and can be reached at hblumenf@mail.sdsu.edu.

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San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913
Bilingual brain activity researched