Language proficiency is a critically important factor in research on bilingualism, but researchers disagree on its measurement. Validated objective measures exist, but investigators often rely exclusively on subjective measures. We investigated if combining multiple self-report measures improves prediction of objective naming test scores in 36 English-dominant versus 32 Spanish-dominant older bilinguals (Experiment 1), and in 41 older Spanish–English bilinguals versus 41 proficiency-matched young bilinguals (Experiment 2). Self-rated proficiency was a powerful but sometimes inaccurate predictor and better predicted naming accuracy when combined with years of immersion, while percent use explained little or no unique variance. Spanish-dominant bilinguals rated themselves more strictly than English-dominant bilinguals at the same objectively measured proficiency level. Immersion affected young more than older bilinguals, and non-immersed (English-dominant) more than immersed (Spanish-dominant) bilinguals. Self-reported proficiency ratings can produce spurious results, but predictive power improves when combined with self-report questions that might be less affected by subjective judgements.

中文翻译：

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从语言历史预测命名分数：一点沉浸感会大有帮助，自评熟练程度比使用百分比更重要

语言熟练程度是双语研究中至关重要的因素，但研究人员对其衡量标准存在分歧。存在经过验证的客观测量，但调查人员通常完全依赖主观测量。我们调查了 36 名以英语为主的老年双语者与 32 名以西班牙语为主的老年双语者（实验 1）以及 41 名老年西英双语者与 41 名能力匹配的年轻双语者（实验2）。自评熟练程度是一个强大但有时不准确的预测因素，与多年的沉浸相结合可以更好地预测命名准确性，而使用百分比只能解释很少或没有独特的差异。在同样客观衡量的熟练程度下，以西班牙语为主的双语者对自己的评价比以英语为主的双语者更严格。沉浸式对年轻人的影响大于年长双语者，非沉浸式双语者（以英语为主）比沉浸式双语者（以西班牙语为主）影响更大。自我报告的熟练程度评级可能会产生虚假结果，但与受主观判断影响较小的自我报告问题相结合时，预测能力会提高。