Unravelling the Mysteries of L2 Cognitive Control in Resolving Interference: The Process of L2 Memory Pathways and Retrievals in Individuals’ Mental Maps

Prefrontal cortex (PFC) is believed to manipulate cognitive control and mnemonic processing to overcome interference and ineffective retrievals. Researchers have tried to unravel the complex interaction between memory, cognitive control mechanisms and learning. Investigating L2 (2nd language) memory pathways, this study explored individual brain/mental map to perceive learners’ cognitive maturation/deficits. Besides, this study investigated the extent to which episodic, semantic and working memory (WM) can entail the mechanism of interference. Combining the samples from five testing sectors in Shiraz, Iran, yielded data from 101 adult participants (50 males; 52 EFL independent users/49 basic users; mean age 34.63). The researchers used the mixed-methods sampling strategy and gathered data using four recognition tasks, a questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview. Firstly, the participants took the test package of Selection Mechanism Measures in Resolving Interference (SMMRI), including selection in semantic/episodic memory, recent-probes (RPT) and n-back tasks, plus a WM/priming RC tasks (backward printed reading comprehension); later they filled out Self-Report Measure of Phonological Memory (SMPM) questionnaire. Thirdly, they were interviewed. Both descriptive statistics (mean, median, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Correlations, Interface Resolution (IR), Response Time (RT), and Error Rate (ER)) were run on the data to determine the magnitude of proactive interference (PI). Analyses were performed using SPSS software version 25.0 and MAXQDA version 10. The method of analysis was statistical, interpretive and meta-inferential. The findings revealed that there was a downward trend in order of magnitude from Episodic (Old-New) to Semantic (High-selection) to WM/priming. Moreover, the difference between IR-scores, response time (RT) and error rate (ER) between basic and independent users was significant. The participants used control mechanisms more, which included bias responses rather than automatic ones. Using a 2×2 (Group [low vs. high interference] × Time [low vs. high interference]) Independent Samples Test to compare IR-scores of the WM (RPT/n-back) tasks on accuracy/time, the interaction did not reach significance for basic and independent users. However, the results of sentence comprehension (WM/priming RC tasks) revealed interference pertaining to morphophonemic, semantic and syntactic retrieval cues. Both depressed and chronically suicidal individuals responded more with over-general memories. The novel encoding of semantic controlled processes was recorded to be impaired among depressed insomniac. Hierarchical process of compromises between L2 memories signified that the interactions of different cognitive sub-components had a central executive function (e.g., in left BA44/45 and in left BA45/47). High interference conditions of the WM (WM/priming; recent negative probes in RPT), Semantic memory (High selections) and Episodic memory (Old-New) were mediated by a common cognitive control mechanism. The difference between IR-scores among basic and independent users revealed that training on WM tasks, which demand higher activations in the PFC, can enhance the ability in resolving interference. The negative vision of future episodes among suicidally-depressed interviewees might be passed on to their semantic memory, and they might end up with hippocampal atrophy. The findings of L2 cognitive control open up perspectives in neuroeducation in how L2 learners should be cognitively individuated. For upgrading any educational qualification, cognitive-minded discipline is recommended.

Keywords:

Cognitive control , L2 memory pathways , Interference , Cognitive deficit