Working memory executive control in student translators and student interpreters

Working memory refers to the brain system that allows us to hold information on-line and manipulate it for short periods of time (Baddeley 1992). In interpreting research, working memory is considered one of the most important cognitive aspects of simultaneous interpreting. Up to now, most empirical studies focused on working memory storage capacity, which is commonly measured using a reading or listening span task. These studies tend to compare interpreters with non-interpreters, hypothesizing that the interpreters will exhibit higher storage capacity. Yet, this line of research has yielded some contradictory results (Köpke and Signorelli 2012). This could lead us to presume that it is not the storage capacity in itself that is a determining factor but rather how this storage is utilized. This brings us to what Baddeley (1996) calls the attentional-controlling system or ‘central executive’ which allows us to maintain or suppress information and to coordinate or switch between tasks. Building on this research, interpreting scholars have started to focus their attention on the central executive functions of working memory and especially on controlled attention (e.g. Timarová et al 2014). The present study wants to contribute to this growing body of literature. In this paper presentation we will focus on three executive functions (updating, inhibition and shifting) which were tested using computer-based response tasks. The ‘updating’ function requires to compare new incoming information to information already held in the memory. This function was tested using a 2-back task. The ‘inhibition’ function was tested by means of an Attention Network Task and a Simon task, which requires participants to ignore irrelevant stimuli and focus on the task at hand. Finally, the ‘shifting’ function was gauged with a switch task in which participants need to stop one task in order to start a new task. Participants are 30 undergraduate students who have shared the same Bachelor training in Applied Language Studies. Yet, fifteen of these students have opted for a Master course in Translation, whereas the other half has chosen a Master in Interpreting. This study explores whether differences exist between both groups in the early stages of their professional training. In this paper presentation we will focus on the methodology used in the study and we will present the results that emerged from this data-collection alongside some implications for curriculum design and student learning