Bilingual Representational Systems and Interlingual Transfer of Learning

Abstract

We classified Yoruba-English bilingual subjects as either high or low on separation of their representational systems on a word association test for a list of ten words. Subjects then took part in learning tasts where the list of ten words were learned to one errorless criterion first in one language, and then to another errorless criterion for the translated equivalent words in the other language. Transfer of learning was then measured. Low separation subjects gained significantly more positive transfer than high separation subjects. In addition, transfer from Yoruba to English was more marked for low separation subjects than for high separation subjects. These results are interpreted as supporting theories that postulate separate memory stores for bilinguals.