Pojdi na slovensko stran članka / Go to the article page in Slovene
Why Plato needs psychology. Proposal for a theoretical framework underpinning research on the cognitive transfer effects of studying classical languages
Alexandra Vereeck, Mark Janse, Katja De Herdt, Arnaud Szmalec, Cathy Hauspie & Wouter Duyck
Full text (pdf) | Views: 71 | 
Written in English. | Published: December 3, 2023
https://doi.org/10.20419/2023.32.580 | Cited By: CrossRef (0)
Abstract: Psychology is one of the seven hub sciences, which involves great responsibility for psychologists but also great opportunities for both psychologists and other scholars; that was the theme of the 17th European Congress of Psychology organized by the Slovenian Psychologists’ Association. This article contains a detailed example of how psychology functions as a hub science today. The research topic finds its origin in the seemingly unrelated discipline of classics. Latin and Ancient Greek have been taught in Europe for centuries, and even today there are many pupils in secondary education who study them. This custom does not go uncriticized, as the classical languages are often perceived as irrelevant in the modern world. Classicists have therefore been forced, and continue to be forced, to defend the very existence of their discipline. One of the arguments they have adduced, is that the study of classical languages has a beneficial impact on pupils’ linguistic and general cognitive abilities. This claim is closely related to the general issue of transfer of learning which has long preoccupied philosophers and psychologists. The only way to verify such a claim, is to resort to a psychological approach. This article presents the first fully elaborated theoretical framework for the cognitive impact of classical language education, which paves the way for sound and rigorous research on this topic. The framework starts from cognitive transfer as a central construct and goes on to combine insights from various psychological and non-psychological literatures. As such, a fruitful interaction comes about: Not only does psychology contribute to classical language impact research, the latter will also enrich cognitive psychology and psycholinguistics by broaching new terrain.
Keywords: hub science, cognitive transfer, transfer of learning, classical language education
Cite:
Vereeck, A., Janse, M., De Herdt, K., Szmalec, A., Hauspie, C., & Duyck, W. (2023). Why Plato needs psychology. Proposal for a theoretical framework underpinning research on the cognitive transfer effects of studying classical languages. Psihološka obzorja, 121–130. https://doi.org/10.20419/2023.32.580
Reference list
Bagheri, M., Hadian, B., & Vaez-Dalili, M. (2019). Effects of the Vaughan method in comparison with the Audiolingual method and the communicative language teaching on Iranian advanced EFL learners' speaking skill. International Journal of Instruction, 12(2), 81–99. CrossRef
Barnett, S., & Ceci, S. (2002). When and where do we apply what we learn? A taxonomy for far transfer. Psychological Bulletin, 128(4), 612–637. CrossRef
Becerra-Bonache, L., & Jiménez-López, D. (2015). A grammatical inference model for measuring language complexity. In I. Rojas, G. Joya, & A. Catala (Eds.), Advances in computational intelligence. 13th International Work-Conference on Artificial Neural Networks, IWANN 2015, Palma de Mallorca, Spain, June 10–12, 2015 (Vol. 1). Springer. CrossRef
Bentz, C., Gutierrez-Vasques, X., Sozinova, O., & Samardžić, T. (2022). Complexity trade-offs and equi-complexity in natural languages: A meta-analysis. Linguistics Vanguard: A Multimodal Journal for the Language Sciences, 14(9), 9–25. CrossRef
Bialystok, E., & Barac, R. (2012). Emerging bilingualism: Dissociating advantages for metalinguistic awareness and executive control. Cognition, 122(1), 67–73. CrossRef
Bialystok, E., Martin, M., & Viswanathan, M. (2005). Bilingualism across the lifespan: The rise and fall of inhibitory control. International Journal of Bilingualism, 9(1), 103–119. CrossRef
Bracke, E., & Bradshaw, C. (2020). The impact of learning Latin on school pupils. A review of existing data. The Language Learning Journal, 48(2), 226–236. CrossRef
Carlson, S., & Meltzoff, A. (2008). Bilingual experience and executive functioning in young children. Developmental Science, 11 (2), 282–298. CrossRef
Castiello, J. (1934). Geistesformung. Beiträge zur experimentellen erforschung der formalen Bildung [Formation of the mind. Contributions about the experimental inquiry into formal discipline]. Dümmler.
Cook, V. (1991). Second language learning and language learning. Edward Arnold.
Dahl, Ö. (2009). Testing the assumption of complexity invariance: the case of Elfdalian and Swedish. In D. Gil, G. Sampson, & P. Trudgill (Eds.), Language complexity as an evolving variable (pp. 50–63). Oxford University Press. CrossRef
De Bruyckere, P., Kirschner, P., & Hulshof, C. (2020). If you learn A, will you be better able to learn B? Understanding transfer of learning. American Educator, 44(1), 30–34.
Dick, A., Garcia, N., Pruden, S., Thompson, W., Hawes, S., Sutherland, M., Riedel, M., Laird, A., & Gonzalez, R. (2019). No evidence for a bilingual executive function advantage in the ABCD study. Nature Human Behaviour, 3(7), 692–701. CrossRef
Fredericks, S. (1974). Vygotsky on language skills. The Classical World, 67, 283–290. CrossRef
Ganschow, L., & Sparks, R. (1995). Effects of direct instruction in Spanish phonology on the native-language skills and foreign-language aptitude of at-risk foreign language learners. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 28(2), 107–120. CrossRef
Gil, D., Sampson, G., & Trudgill, P. (Eds.). (2009). Language complexity as an evolving variable. Studies in the evolution of language. Oxford University Press. CrossRef
Gilliland, A. (1922). The effect of the study of Latin on ability to define words. Journal of Educational Psychology, 13 (8), 501–505. CrossRef
Gobet, F., & Sala, G. (2022). Cognitive training: A field in search of a phenomenon. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 20 (10), 1–17. CrossRef
Green, C., Bavelier, D., Kramer, A., Vinogradov, S., Ansorge, U., Ball, K., Bingel, U., Chein, J., Colzato, L., Edwards, J., Facoetti, A., Gazzaley, A., Gathercole, S., Ghisletta, P., Gori, S., Granic, I., Hillman, C., Hommel, B., Jaeggi, S., … Witt, C. (2019). Improving methodological standards in behavioral interventions for cognitive enhancement. Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, 3 (1), 2–29. CrossRef
Hacquebord, H. (2006). Woordkennis als onderdeel van taaldiagnostisch onderzoek [Word knowledge as part of diagnostic research on language]. Levende talen, 7 (1), 15–22.
Harrison, T., Shipstead, Z., Hicks, K., Hambrick, D., Redick, T., & Engle, R. (2013). Working memory training may increase working memory capacity but not fluid intelligence. Psychological Science, 24 (12), 2409–2419. CrossRef
Hille, K., Gust, K., Bitz, U., & Kammer, T. (2011). Associations between music education, intelligence, and spelling ability in elementary school. Advances in Cognitive Psychology, 7, 1–6. CrossRef
Housen, A. (2020). Difficulty and complexity of language features and second language instruction. In C. Chapelle (Ed.), The concise encyclopedia of applied linguistics (pp. 389–395). Wiley Blackwell. CrossRef
Housen, A., & Simoens, H. (2016). Introduction: Cognitive perspectives on difficulty and complexity in L2 acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 38, 163–175. CrossRef
Hu, M., & Nation, P. (2000). Unknown vocabulary density and reading comprehension. Reading in a Foreign Language, 13(1), 403–430.
Jaeggi, S., Buschkuehl, M., Shah, P., & Jonides, J. (2014). The role of individual differences in cognitive training and transfer. Memory & Cognition, 42(3), 464–480. CrossRef
Janus, M., Lee, Y., Moreno, S., & Bialystok, E. (2016). Effects of short-term music and second-language training on executive control. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 144, 84–97. CrossRef
Joseph, J., & Newmeyer, F. (2012). All languages are equally complex. The rise and fall of a consensus. Historiographia Linguistica, 39(2-3), 341–368. CrossRef
Karbach, J., & Kray, J. (2009). How useful is executive control training? Age differences in near and far transfer of task-switching training. Developmental Science, 12(6), 978–990. CrossRef
Larsen-Freeman, D. (2015). Complexity theory. In B. VanPatten, & J. Williams (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition: An introduction (pp. 227–244). Routledge.
Larsen-Freeman, D. (2020). Chaos/complexity theory for second language acquisition/development. In C. Chapelle (Ed.), The concise encyclopedia of applied linguistics (pp. 181–188). Wiley Blackwell. CrossRef
Lloyd, M. & Hunt, S. (2021). Communicative approaches for ancient languages. Bloomsbury Academic. CrossRef
Masciantonio, R. (1977). Tangible benefits of the study of Latin: A review of research. Foreign Language Annals, 10(4), 375–382. CrossRef
Mavrogenes, N. (1977). The effect of elementary latin instruction on language arts performance. The Elementary School Journal, 77(4), 268–73. CrossRef
McWhorter, J. (2001). The world simplest grammars are creole grammars. Linguistic Typology, 5(2-3), 125–166. CrossRef
Murphy, V., Macaro, E., Alba, S., & Cipolla, C. (2015). The influence of learning a second language in primary school on developing first language literacy skills. Applied Psycholinguistics, 36(5), 1133–1153. CrossRef
Paap, K. (2023). The bilingual advantage in executive functioning hypothesis: How the debate provides insight into psychology's replication crisis. Routledge. CrossRef
Pavlenko, A., & Jarvis, S. (2002). Bidirectional transfer. Applied Linguistics, 23(2), 190–214. CrossRef
Peal, E., & Lambert, W. (1962). The relation of bilingualism to intelligence. Psychological Monographs: General and Applied, 76, 1–23. CrossRef
Pienemann, M., & Lenzing, A. (2015). Processability theory. In B. VanPatten, & J. Williams (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition: An introduction (pp. 159–179). Routledge.
Ritchie, S., & Tucker-Drob, E. (2018). How much does education improve intelligence? A meta-analysis. Psychological Science, 29(8), 1358–1369. CrossRef
Sala, G., Aksayli, N., Tatlidil, S., Tatsumi, T., Gondo, Y., & Gobet, F. (2019). Near and far transfer in cognitive training: A second-order meta-analysis. Collabra: Psychology, 5(1), Article 18. CrossRef
Sala, G., & Gobet, F. (2017). Does far transfer exist? Negative evidence from chess, music, and working memory training. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 26(5), 515–520. CrossRef
Sampson, G. (2009). A linguistic axiom challenged. In D. Gil, G. Sampson, & P. Trudgill (Eds.), Language complexity as an evolving variable (pp. 1–18). Oxford University Press. CrossRef
Sauce, B., & Matzel, L. (2018). The paradox of intelligence: Heritability and malleability coexist in hidden gene-environment interplay. Psychological Bulletin, 144(1), 26–47. CrossRef
Scherer, R., Siddiq, F., & Sánchez Viveros, B. (2019). The cognitive benefits of learning computer programming: A meta-analysis of transfer effects. Journal of Educational Psychology, 111 (5), 764–792. CrossRef
Shipstead, Z., Redick, T., & Engle, R. (2010). Does working memory training generalize? Psychologica Belgica, 50(3–4), 245–276. CrossRef
Spearman, C. (1904). 'General intelligence', objectively determined and measured. The American Journal of Psychology, 15(2), 201–292. CrossRef
Spearman, C. (1927). The abilities of man: Their nature and measurement. The Macmillan Company.
Squire, L., & Wixted, J. (2011). The cognitive neuroscience of human memory since H.M. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 34, 259–288. CrossRef
Stellwag, H. (1949). De waarde der klassieke vorming. Een cultuur-historische, paedagogisch-psychologische en didaktische inleiding [The value of classical education. A cultural-historical, pedagogical-psychological and didactical introduction]. Wolters.
Thorndike, E. (1914). The psychology of learning. Teachers College.
Thorndike, E., & Woodworth, R. (1901a). The influence of improvement in one mental function upon the efficiency of other functions. (I). Psychological Review, 8(3), 247–261. CrossRef
Thorndike, E., & Woodworth, R. (1901b). The influence of improvement in one mental function upon the efficiency of other functions. II. The estimation of magnitudes. Psychological Review, 8(4), 384–395. CrossRef
Thorndike, E., & Woodworth, R. (1901c). The influence of improvement in one mental function upon the efficiency of other functions: III. Functions involving attention, observation and discrimination. Psychological Review, 8(6), 553–564. CrossRef
Tiruneh, D., Gu, X., De Cock, M., & Elen, J. (2018). Systematic design of domain-specific instruction on near and far transfer of critical thinking skills. International Journal of Educational Research, 87, 1–11. CrossRef
Ullman, M. (2013). Declarative/procedural model of language. In H. Pashler (Ed.), Encyclopedia of the mind (Vol. 1, pp. 224–226). Sage Publications.
Ullman, M. (2015). The declarative/procedural model. A neurobiologically motivated theory of first and second language. In B. VanPatten, & J. Williams (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition: An introduction (pp. 135–158). Routledge.
Vereeck, A., Bracke, E., De Herdt, K., & Janse, M. (2023). Revered and reviled. An outline of the public debate regarding classical language education. Manuscript in preparation.
Vereeck, A., Janse, M., De Herdt, K., Hauspie, C., Szmalec, A., & Woumans, E. (2023). Does studying Latin make pupils smarter? Presenting the field of classical language impact studies. Manuscript in preparation.
Vereeck, A., Janse, M., De Herdt, K., Szmalec, A., Hauspie, C., & Duyck, W. (2022). A debate in need of data: Report of an empirical study on the cognitive transfer effects of studying classical languages [Conference presentation abstract]. In M. Juriševič (Ed.), Book of Abstracts: 17th European Congress of Psychology. Horizons of Psychology, 31, 59–447.
von Bastian, C., & Oberauer, K. (2014). Effects and mechanisms of working memory training: A review. Psychological Research, 78(6), 803–820. CrossRef
Woumans, E., Surmont, J., Struys, E., & Duyck, W. (2016). The longitudinal effect of bilingual immersion schooling on cognitive control and intelligence. Language Learning, 66(2), 76–91. CrossRef
