Theses and Dissertations
Date of Award
12-2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Dr. Yu-Cheng Lin
Second Advisor
Dr. Michiyo Hirai
Third Advisor
Dr. Ralph Carlson
Abstract
The mouse-tracking study examined whether early musical experience leads to changes of inhibitory control in numerical processing for bilingual speakers, as has not investigated in previous studies. Twenty-eight Spanish-English bilingual students completed two Stroop-like numerical and physical size judgment tasks via a mouse-tracking paradigm. Results showed that response times were slower during both incongruent and neutral trials for bilinguals who had received early musical training (before age 13) when compared to bilinguals who had received late musical training (after age 13) across tasks. Furthermore, hand trajectories revealed that a spatial attraction toward the incorrect response was more pronounced in bilinguals who had received early musical training when compared to those who had received late musical training. Both cognitive and motor measurements indicate that Spanish-English bilingual speakers with musical experiences showed both numerical and physical size congruity effects in Stroop tasks. Results demonstrate that musical experience enhances inhibitory control on numerical tasks for bilingual speakers.
Recommended Citation
Pizaña, Daniel Arturo, "Numerical Cognition in Action: Hand Trajectories Reveal Effects of Early Musical Training on Numerical Processing in Spanish-English Bilingual Musicians" (2017). Theses and Dissertations. 340.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/etd/340
Comments
Copyright 2017 Daniel Pizaña. All Rights Reserved.
https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/numerical-cognition-action-hand-trajectories/docview/2100069391/se-2?accountid=7119