Bilingual Memory: The Interaction of Language and Thought

We initiated story recall in bilingual children to analyze how specific languages affect memory for narrative. Forty 8- and 9-year-old bilingual (Greek-English) children listened to a story on tape, in either English or Greek, and were asked to retell it in either English or Greek, once from memory and a second time with the aid of a picture book. Story recall was measured in terms of number of recalled phrases. Story recall for subjects who heard the story in English and retold it in Greek (group EG) was significantly better than for groups EE, GG, and GE. Results are discussed in terms of dual coding theory and subjects' language socialization history. The implications of these findings suggest the need for dynamic, flexible bilingual education programs that are sensitive to the previous language experiences of bilingual students.