Language and number: a bilingual training study

Three experiments investigated the role of a specific language in human rep resentations of number. Russian-English bilingual college students were tau ght new numerical operations (Experiment 1), new arithmetic equations (Expe riments 1 and 2), or new geographical or historical facts involving numeric al or non-numerical information (Experiment 3). After learning a set of ite ms in each of their two languages, subjects were tested for knowledge of th ose items, and new items, in both languages. In all the studies, subjects r etrieved information about exact numbers more effectively in the language o f training, and they solved trained problems more effectively than untraine d problems. In contrast, subjects retrieved information about approximate n umbers and non-numerical facts with equal efficiency in their two languages , and their training on approximate number facts generalized to new facts o f the same type. These findings suggest that a specific, natural language c ontributes to the representation of large, exact numbers but not to the app roximate number representations that humans share with other mammals. Langu age appears to play a role in learning about exact numbers in a variety of contexts, a finding with implications for practice in bilingual education. The findings prompt more general speculations about the role of language in the development of specifically human cognitive abilities. (C) 2001 Elsevi er Science B.V. All rights reserved.