Autobiographical Memory and Language in Bicultural Bilinguals

Research focusing on autobiographical memory in bilingual speakers has revealed different patterns of memory retrieval depending upon the language in which memories are being accessed. The present study examined narrative properties of autobiographical memories retrieved by RussianEnglish bilinguals. Results suggest that bilinguals’ languages may influence cognitive styles. When speaking English, a language associated with a more individualistic culture, Russian-English bilinguals produced more individualistic narratives, whereas when speaking Russian, a language associated with a more collectivist culture, Russian-English bilinguals produced more collectivist narratives. In addition, code-switching was more likely to take place from the second language into the first language and when the language of retrieval did not match the language of encoding. Conceptual and grammatical transfers across the two languages were also observed. These results suggest that narratives, memories, and self in bilinguals are mediated by language. It is suggested that language functions as a vehicle for culture with cultural differences seeping into language and influencing cognitive styles and the self.