Resumen de Methodological aspects of working memory assessment in simultaneous interpreters
Barbara Köpke, Teresa M. Signorelli
It is commonly assumed that simultaneous interpreting is very demanding with respect to cognitive resources such as working memory (WM). Previous studies measuring WM skills in simultaneous interpreters, however, have yielded contradictory findings. Some studies seem to support the hypothesis of enhanced WM skills in professional interpreters, others do not find differences between interpreters and controls. This article offers an attempt to account for some of these contradictory results with an analysis of methodological aspects and their theoretical implications. Two of the most frequently used experimental paradigms are considered: a free recall task with articulatory suppression (Köpke & Nespoulous, 2006; Padilla, Bajo, & Macizo, 2005; Padilla Benítez, 1995) and reading or listening span (Christoffels, de Groot, & Kroll, 2006; Köpke & Nespoulous, 2006; Liu, Schallert, & Carroll, 2004; Padilla Benítez, 1995). Concerning the free recall task, it is argued that participant selection may account for contradictory findings and that differences in task timing are so pronounced that the different studies may actually assess different memory skills. The discussion of methodological differences in the listening or reading span task leads to the claim that results are consistent with the view of professional interpreters being advantaged in free recall WM tasks but not in serial recall.
