The Relationship Between Foreign Language Ability and the Foreign Language Side Effect: Are the Amounts of Reduction in Thinking Ability Identical When the Foreign Language Abilities are Identical?

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26285163
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Experimental psychology
• Research Institution: Meiji University (2016-2017); The University of Tokyo (2014-2015)
• Principal Investigator: TAKANO Yohtaro 明治大学, 研究・知財戦略機構, 研究推進員 (20197122)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 柴崎 秀子 長岡技術科学大学, 工学研究科, 教授 (00376815) ; 森島 泰則 国際基督教大学, 教養学部, 教授 (20365521) ; 阪井 和男 明治大学, 法学部, 専任教授 (50225752) ; 原田 康也 早稲田大学, 法学学術院, 教授 (80189711)
• Research Collaborator: 李 承玉 東京大学, 大学院人文社会系研究科
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 知能 / 思考 / 言語 / 外国語 / 注意 / 二重課題 / 英語 / 英語検定

Outline of Final Research Achievements

"Foreign language side effect (FoLSE)" refers to temporary decline of thinking ability while one is using a second language, in which he/she is not so proficient as in his/her own native language. Theoretically, the magnitude of FoLSE should reduce as the the second language ability improves. We investigated Japanese native speakers to see the relation between the magnitude of FoLSE and the performance in ordinary English tests, and found that the predicted negative correlation was virtually absent. This finding suggests that the performance in the ordinary English tests may not accurately reflect the ability of thinking while using English.

Free Research Field

認知心理学