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Titus A, Peeters D. Multilingualism at the Market: A Pre-registered Immersive Virtual Reality Study of Bilingual Language Switching. J Cogn 2024; 7:35. [PMID: 38638461 PMCID: PMC11025569 DOI: 10.5334/joc.359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Bilinguals, by definition, are capable of expressing themselves in more than one language. But which cognitive mechanisms allow them to switch from one language to another? Previous experimental research using the cued language-switching paradigm supports theoretical models that assume that both transient, reactive and sustained, proactive inhibitory mechanisms underlie bilinguals' capacity to flexibly and efficiently control which language they use. Here we used immersive virtual reality to test the extent to which these inhibitory mechanisms may be active when unbalanced Dutch-English bilinguals i) produce full sentences rather than individual words, ii) to a life-size addressee rather than only into a microphone, iii) using a message that is relevant to that addressee rather than communicatively irrelevant, iv) in a rich visual environment rather than in front of a computer screen. We observed a reversed language dominance paired with switch costs for the L2 but not for the L1 when participants were stand owners in a virtual marketplace and informed their monolingual customers in full sentences about the price of their fruits and vegetables. These findings strongly suggest that the subtle balance between the application of reactive and proactive inhibitory mechanisms that support bilingual language control may be different in the everyday life of a bilingual compared to in the (traditional) psycholinguistic laboratory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Titus
- Radboud University, Centre for Language Studies, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - David Peeters
- Tilburg University, Department of Communication and Cognition, TiCC, Tilburg, the Netherlands
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2
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Wang P, Huang X, Chang X. The effect of inhibitory control and language proficiency on intra-sentential switching costs in reading comprehension. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2023; 241:104063. [PMID: 37976919 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.104063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Based on the inhibition account and activation account, inhibitory control and language proficiency play big roles on language control mechanisms underlying language switching respectively. But it is still debatable whether inhibitory control and language proficiency play roles in sentential context during bilingual language comprehension, and how and when they work if they both do. The present study examined the specific roles of language proficiency and inhibitory control on modulating intra-sentential switching costs in Chinese-English bilinguals using self-paced reading task. Results indicated that language proficiency and switching direction modulated intra-sentential switching costs significantly. Switching costs were larger when switching into L1 than into L2 for the first two code-switched words due to inhibitory effect, but more costly switching into L2 than into L1 since the third code-switched words owing to the effect of relative language proficiency. During bilingual language processing, inhibition and activation of languages shaped a dynamic interplay of complementary language control processes. Specifically, inhibitory control and language proficiency work as a dynamic continuum in language switching at sentence level. Switching into L1 requires the release of inhibition to L1, but switching into L2 asks the activation and access of L2. The interaction effects of language proficiency and inhibitory control influenced the exertion and components of inhibition. This study reconciled the independent roles of language proficiency and inhibitory control on language switching and constructed a new continuum based on language proficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peijuan Wang
- School of Foreign Languages, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Xueyi Huang
- School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200400, China
| | - Xin Chang
- School of Foreign Languages, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
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3
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Yang T, Lin W, Zheng G, Wang R. The Effects of Cognitive Control on the Subcomponents of Language Control in Spoken and Written Productions. Behav Sci (Basel) 2023; 13:809. [PMID: 37887459 PMCID: PMC10604878 DOI: 10.3390/bs13100809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
AIMS The present study aimed to investigate whether and how the subcomponents of language control during spoken and written productions were modulated by cognitive control. METHOD In the current study, unbalanced Chinese-English bilinguals were recruited from a convenience sample at a university to complete the cued language naming task in spoken production and written production, which measured the local language control (as indexed by language switch costs) and the global language control (as indexed by language mixing costs and reversed language dominance effect). In addition, all the participants performed the Simon task, which measured their general inhibitory control ability by calculating the Simon effect, and performed the AX-CPT task to measure their reactive/proactive control preference by calculating their BSI score. All the data were collected using E-prime 2.0 and analyzed in R. Linear mixed-effect model analyses were conducted to reveal the similarities and differences between spoken production and written production for the first-step analysis. Then, the Simon effect and BSI scores were inserted into the mixed-effect models of the switch costs and mixing costs in spoken production and written production, respectively, to explore whether cognitive control can predict the subcomponents of bilingual control. RESULTS The results showed similar symmetrical switch costs in spoken and written modalities. In contrast, there was a reversed language dominance effect (in the mixed language context) and asymmetrical mixing costs in spoken production but neither in written production. Furthermore, we found that the Simon effect significantly negatively predicted the L2 mixing costs in spoken production, whereas the BSI score significantly negatively predicted both the L1 and L2 mixing costs in written production. CONCLUSION The findings indicated that, for unbalanced bilinguals, local language control is shared between two modalities, while global language control is modality-independent between spoken production and written production. More importantly, the findings also suggested that global language control in spoken production relies more on the individuals' general inhibitory control, while in written production, it relies more on their cognitive control strategy. Global language control in spoken and written productions separately engages specific aspects of cognitive control, which may account for different forms of processing in global language control between speaking and writing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Ruiming Wang
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents, Ministry of Education, & Centre for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
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4
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Wang R, Han J, Di Biase B, Antoniou M. The effect of study-abroad experience on lexical translation among interpreting students. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1266921. [PMID: 37809285 PMCID: PMC10559970 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1266921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
This study investigates the impact of study-abroad experience (SAE) on lexical translation among 50 Chinese (L1)-English (L2) interpreting students. Participants were divided into two groups based on their experience abroad. Both groups consisted of 25 unbalanced L2 learners who were matched in age, working memory, length of interpreting training, and L2 proficiency. Bidirectional word translation recognition tasks, from L1 to L2 and L2 to L1, highlighted several key findings: (1) both groups were significantly more accurate and faster from L2 to L1 than in the reverse direction; (2) the study abroad (SA) group was more inclined to respond quickly at the risk of making errors, whereas the non-study abroad (NSA) group tended to be more cautious, prioritising accuracy over speed; (3) the SA group were more balanced and consistent in their performance across lexical translations in both directions than the NSA group. These results emphasise the potent effect of SAE in resolving bilinguals' language competition, especially in streamlining language switching, a cognitive process critical for interpreting students engaging daily with dual languages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiyuan Wang
- School of International Studies, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jing Han
- School of Humanities and Communication Arts, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Bruno Di Biase
- School of Humanities and Communication Arts, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Mark Antoniou
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour, and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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5
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Zhuang B, Liang L, Yang J. When interlocutor's face-language matching alters: An ERP study on face contexts and bilingual language control in mixed-language picture naming. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1134635. [PMID: 37034912 PMCID: PMC10078986 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1134635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The present study used event-related potentials (ERP) to examine Chinese-English bilinguals' reactive and proactive language control as they performed mixed-language picture naming with face cues. All participants named pictures in Chinese (first language, L1) and English (second language, L2) across three sessions: a 25% face-language matched session, a baseline session without face cues, and a 75% face-language matched session. Behavioral analyses for reactive language control showed that the asymmetrical switch cost was larger for L2 than L1 in the 25% session and for L1 than L2 in the 75% session. ERP results revealed more negative N2 and LPC during L1 switching in 25% session but enhanced N2 during L2 switching in 75% session. Similar N2 and LPC effect was found during L1 and L2 switching in the baseline context. For proactive language control, the reversed language dominance and enhanced LPC amplitudes during L2 naming were consistent across the three sessions. Our findings suggest that reactive but not proactive language control is modulated by the ever-changing face contexts, which highlights the highly flexible bilingual control systems subserving nonlinguistic cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binyuan Zhuang
- Bilingual Cognition and Development Lab, Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China
- Faculty of English Language and Culture, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lijuan Liang
- Bilingual Cognition and Development Lab, Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jing Yang
- School of International Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Jing Yang,
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Försterling M, Hainke L, Redkina A, Sauseng P. Influence of Bilingualism on Behavioral and Electrophysiological Parameters of Cognitive Control. J PSYCHOPHYSIOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1027/0269-8803/a000310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. Bilingualism has been associated with better cognitive control as compared to monolingualism. However, the robustness of the respective findings is subject to a recent debate, and moderators should be taken into consideration. We reasoned that groups immersed in their second language should show a greater bilingual advantage in cognitive control as compared to non-immersed participants. Further, stimulus language (first or second language), word similarity in the two languages (similar or dissimilar), as well as congruency between ink and word were varied. Forty-five participants from three different language groups (Romance, Slavic, and German) conducted a Stroop task while EEG was recorded. Higher cognitive control demand was operationalized as (1) longer reaction times, (2) higher error rates, (3) stronger N400, (4) increased Late Positive Complex (LPC), and (5) stronger Frontal Midline Theta activity. The classical Stroop interference effect was replicated for all dependent variables. Contrary to expectation, participants immersed in their second language did not exhibit any inhibition advantage in the Stroop task. Moreover, higher script similarity between first and second languages led to faster response times in general. Results are discussed in light of the current debate on the existence of a bilingual advantage in cognitive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Försterling
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Laura Hainke
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Anna Redkina
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Paul Sauseng
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
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7
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Zang A, de Vega M, Fu Y, Wang H, Beltrán D. Language switching may facilitate the processing of negative responses. Front Psychol 2022; 13:906154. [PMID: 36148105 PMCID: PMC9486385 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.906154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been proposed that processing sentential negation recruits the neural network of inhibitory control (de Vega et al., 2016; Beltrán et al., 2021). In addition, inhibition mechanisms also play a role in switching languages for bilinguals (Kroll et al., 2015). Since both processes may share inhibitory resources, the current study explored for the first time whether and how language-switching influences the processing of negation. To this end, two groups of Spanish-English bilinguals participated in an encoding-verification memory task. They read short stories involving the same two protagonists (Montse and Jordi), referring to their activities in four different scenarios in Spanish or English. Following each story, the participants received verification questions requiring “yes” or “no” responses depending on whether a given fact was correctly referred to one of the protagonists. Some of the verification questions were in the story’s original language (non-switch condition) and others in the alternate language (switch condition). Results revealed that language-switching facilitated negative responses compared to affirmative responses, exclusively for questions switching from dominant language (L1) to non-dominant language (L2). This effect might reflect that the domain-general mechanisms of inhibitory control are recruited at least partially for both language switch and negation process simultaneously, although this phenomenon is modulated by language dominance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anqi Zang
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia, Universidad de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Manuel de Vega
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia, Universidad de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Yang Fu
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia, Universidad de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Huili Wang
- School of Foreign Languages, Zhejiang University City College, Hangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Huili Wang,
| | - David Beltrán
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia, Universidad de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
- Departamento de Psicología Básica I, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Madrid, Spain
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8
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Wu R, Struys E. A Domain-General Monitoring Account of Bilingual Language Control in Recognition: The Role of Language Dominance and Bilingual Experience. Front Psychol 2022; 13:854898. [PMID: 35496216 PMCID: PMC9039186 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.854898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability of bilingual individuals to manage two competing languages is assumed to rely on both domain-specific language control and domain-general control mechanisms. However, previous studies have reported mixed findings about the extent and nature of cross-domain generality. The present study examined the role of language dominance, along with bilingual language experience, in the relationship between word recognition and domain-general cognitive control. Two single-language lexical decision tasks (one in L1 and another in L2) and a domain-general flanker task were administered to bilinguals who live in the sociolinguistic context of a minority and a majority language, namely, Uyghur (L1) and Chinese (L2), respectively. The results showed a diversity in language dominance patterns with better performance in L2 than L1 in the recognition modality, even for participants who self-identified as globally being dominant in L1. This finding reflected all bilinguals’ self-evaluation that their preferred language for reading was L2, suggesting that language dominance is dynamic, depending on what language modality is measured. Furthermore, it was found that an earlier onset age of L2 acquisition (but not recent exposure) and a higher across-modality dominance in L2 were related to faster L2 word recognition. When self-reported language dominance was operationalised as a grouping variable, it was further found that both across-modality L1- and L2-dominant bilingual participants demonstrated a significant relationship between L2 word recognition and domain-general monitoring control, while only L1-dominant bilinguals additionally tapped into inhibitory control, indexed by the flanker effect during L2 word recognition. These findings suggest that language dominance has an impact on the extent and nature of the overlap in control mechanisms across specific linguistic and domain-general cognitive domains and add evidence to a domain-general monitoring account of bilingual word recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruilin Wu
- Centre for Linguistics, Department of Linguistics and Literary Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Centre for Neurosciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Esli Struys
- Centre for Linguistics, Department of Linguistics and Literary Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Centre for Neurosciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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9
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López-Rojas C, Rossi E, Marful A, Bajo MT. Prospective memory in bilinguals and monolinguals: ERP and behavioural correlates of prospective processing in bilinguals. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2022; 225:105059. [PMID: 34971925 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2021.105059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Prospective memory (PM) allows us to form intentions and execute them in the future. Successful retrieval of prospective intentions depends on adequate context monitoring and disengagement from the ongoing task. These processes are also central in predicting incoming language information and guiding language production in bilinguals. We investigated if different bilingual experiences (early/late bilinguals, monolinguals) modulate performance in PM tasks that varied in attentional requirements (focal vs. non-focal). Behavioural and event-related potential (ERP) results indicated that early bilinguals differed from late bilinguals and monolinguals in how they performed the prospective task. Specifically, they showed larger differences between the ongoing activity and the prospective task in the N300 and P3b components when performing the more difficult non-focal PM task, indicating that they engaged in monitoring/updating to adapt to the task's demands. These differences were not observed in late bilinguals and monolinguals, suggesting that prospective processing is dependent on the bilingual experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina López-Rojas
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
| | | | - Alejandra Marful
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Mª Teresa Bajo
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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10
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Chou I, Hu J, Muñoz E, García AM. Discourse-Level Information Recall in Early and Late Bilinguals: Evidence From Single-Language and Cross-Linguistic Tasks. Front Psychol 2021; 12:757351. [PMID: 34764919 PMCID: PMC8576450 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.757351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bilingualism research indicates that verbal memory skills are sensitive to age of second language (L2) acquisition (AoA). However, most tasks employ disconnected, decontextualized stimuli, undermining ecological validity. Here, we assessed whether AoA impacts the ability to recall information from naturalistic discourse in single-language and cross-linguistic tasks. Twenty-four early and 25 late Chinese-English bilinguals listened to real-life L2 newscasts and orally reproduced their information in English (Task 1) and Chinese (Task 2). Both groups were compared in terms of recalled information (presence and correctness of idea units) and key control measures (e.g., attentional skills, speech rate). Across both tasks, information completeness was higher for early than late bilinguals. This occurred irrespective of attentional speed, speech rate, and additional relevant factors. Such results bridge the gap between classical memory paradigms and ecological designs in bilingualism research, illuminating how particular language profiles shape information processing in daily communicative scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Chou
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiehui Hu
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Edinson Muñoz
- Departamento de Lingüística y Literatura, Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Adolfo M García
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.,Departamento de Lingüística y Literatura, Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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11
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Navarro-Torres CA, Beatty-Martínez AL, Kroll JF, Green DW. Research on bilingualism as discovery science. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2021; 222:105014. [PMID: 34530360 PMCID: PMC8978084 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2021.105014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
An important aim of research on bilingualism is to understand how the brain adapts to the demands of using more than one language.In this paper, we argue that pursuing such an aim entails valuing our research as a discovery process that acts on variety.Prescriptions about sample size and methodology, rightly aimed at establishing a sound basis for generalization, should be understood as being in the service of science as a discovery process. We propose and illustrate by drawing from previous and contemporary examples within brain and cognitive sciences, that this necessitates exploring the neural bases of bilingual phenotypes:the adaptive variety induced through the interplay of biology and culture. We identify the conceptual and methodological prerequisites for such exploration and briefly allude to the publication practices that afford it as a community practice and to the risk of allowing methodological prescriptions, rather than discovery, to dominate the research endeavor.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Judith F Kroll
- School of Education, University of California, Irvine, United States
| | - David W Green
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, United Kingdom
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12
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Declerck M, Meade G, Midgley KJ, Holcomb PJ, Roelofs A, Emmorey K. Language control in bimodal bilinguals: Evidence from ERPs. Neuropsychologia 2021; 161:108019. [PMID: 34487737 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.108019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
It is currently unclear to what degree language control, which minimizes non-target language interference and increases the probability of selecting target-language words, is similar for sign-speech (bimodal) bilinguals and spoken language (unimodal) bilinguals. To further investigate the nature of language control processes in bimodal bilinguals, we conducted the first event-related potential (ERP) language switching study with hearing American Sign Language (ASL)-English bilinguals. The results showed a pattern that has not been observed in any unimodal language switching study: a switch-related positivity over anterior sites and a switch-related negativity over posterior sites during ASL production in both early and late time windows. No such pattern was found during English production. We interpret these results as evidence that bimodal bilinguals uniquely engage language control at the level of output modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Declerck
- School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, USA; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands; Linguistics and Literary Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Gabriela Meade
- Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders, San Diego State University & University of California, San Diego, USA
| | | | - Phillip J Holcomb
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, USA
| | - Ardi Roelofs
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Karen Emmorey
- School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, USA.
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13
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Gade M, Declerck M, Philipp AM, Rey-Mermet A, Koch I. Assessing the Evidence for Asymmetrical Switch Costs and Reversed Language Dominance Effects - A Meta-Analysis. J Cogn 2021; 4:55. [PMID: 34611575 PMCID: PMC8447966 DOI: 10.5334/joc.186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Two seemingly counterintuitive phenomena - asymmetrical language switch costs and the reversed language dominance effect - prove to be particularly controversial in the literature on language control. Asymmetrical language switch costs refer to the larger costs for switching into the dominant language compared to switching into the less dominant language, both relative to staying in either one language. The reversed language dominance effect refers to longer reaction times when in the more dominant of the two languages in situations that require frequent language switching (i.e., mixed-language blocks). The asymmetrical language switch costs are commonly taken as an index for processes of transient, reactive inhibitory language control, whereas the reversed language dominance effect is taken as an index for sustained, proactive inhibitory language control. In the present meta-analysis, we set out to establish the empirical evidence for these two phenomena using a Bayesian linear mixed effects modelling approach. Despite the observation of both phenomena in some studies, our results suggest that overall, there is little evidence for the generality and robustness of these two effects, and this holds true even when conditions - such as language proficiency and preparation time manipulations - were included as moderators of these phenomena. We conclude that asymmetrical switch costs and the reversed language dominance effect are important for theory development, but their utility for theory testing is limited due to their lack of robustness and the absence of confirmed moderatory variables.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Gade
- Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Department of Psychology, General Psychology
- Medical School Berlin, Department of Sciences, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mathieu Declerck
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Department of Linguistics and Literary Studies, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | | | - Iring Koch
- RWTH Aachen University, Department of Psychology, Aachen, Germany
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14
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Fedeli D, Del Maschio N, Sulpizio S, Rothman J, Abutalebi J. The bilingual structural connectome: Dual-language experiential factors modulate distinct cerebral networks. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2021; 220:104978. [PMID: 34171596 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2021.104978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Bilingualism is a natural laboratory for studying whether the brain's structural connectome is influenced by different aspects of language experience. However, evidence on how distinct components of bilingual experience may contribute to structural brain adaptations is mixed. The lack of consistency, however, may depend, at least in part, on methodological choices in data acquisition and processing. Herein, we adopted the Network Neuroscience framework to investigate how individual differences in second language (L2) exposure, proficiency, and age of acquisition (AoA) - measured as continuous between-subject variables - relate to whole-brain structural organization. We observed that L2 exposure modulated the connectivity of two networks of regions subserving language comprehension and production. L2 proficiency was associated with enhanced connectivity within a rostro-caudal network, which supports language selection and word learning. Moreover, L2 AoA and exposure affected inter-hemispheric communication between control-related regions. These findings expand mechanistic knowledge about particular environmental factors associated with specific variation in brain structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Fedeli
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics, Faculty of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Italy
| | - Nicola Del Maschio
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics, Faculty of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Italy
| | - Simone Sulpizio
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy; Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMI), University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy
| | - Jason Rothman
- The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway; Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jubin Abutalebi
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics, Faculty of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Italy; The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
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15
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Wu R, Struys E. Language Dominance and Sociolinguistic Experience Are Related to Language Control and Domain-General Monitoring Control: An Investigation in Bilinguals Who Live in a Minority/Majority Sociolinguistic Setting. Front Psychol 2021; 12:594648. [PMID: 34456777 PMCID: PMC8387936 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.594648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Bilingual language control in production tasks with language switches is supposed to be linked to domain-general cognitive control. In the present study, we investigated the role of language dominance, measured on a continuous scale, in the relationship between measures of language control elicited through language switching in a picture naming task and non-linguistic cognitive control induced by stimulus-response interference in a Simon task. In our sample of bilinguals who speak both a minority and majority language (language pair of Uyghur-Chinese), the results showed that as bilinguals were more L2-dominant, a pattern of reversed asymmetry switch costs in language control, i.e., larger L2 than L1 switch costs, was observed. Furthermore, the findings showed that recent exposure to the L1 minority language was associated with the change in language switch costs in terms of both response latencies and accuracy rates. This suggests a role for sociolinguistic context in bilingual language control. Concerning cross-domain generality, globally sustained language control was found to be correlated with domain-general monitoring control in response latencies for all bilingual participants. It lends support to the idea that bilinguals tap into monitoring control in the context of language switching. Additionally, the cross-domain overlap was found between two non-equivalent measures (global language control vs. cognitive inhibitory control) in response latencies, specifically for L1-dominant bilinguals. This suggests that language dominance may have an impact on cross-domain generality in language-switching processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruilin Wu
- Centre for Linguistics, Department of Linguistics and Literary Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Centre for Neurosciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Esli Struys
- Centre for Linguistics, Department of Linguistics and Literary Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Centre for Neurosciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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16
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Xie Z, Antolovic K. Differential impacts of natural L2 immersion and intensive classroom L2 training on cognitive control. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2021; 75:550-562. [PMID: 34353169 DOI: 10.1177/17470218211040813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The relationship between bilingualism and cognitive control has been controversial. We believe that the discrepant findings are likely driven by the complexities of the bilingual experience, which is consistent with the Adaptive Control Hypothesis. The current study investigates whether the natural language immersion experience and the classroom intensive language training experience have differential impacts on cognitive control. Among unbalanced Chinese-English bilingual students, a natural L2 (second language) immersion group, an L2 public speaking training group, and a control bilingual group without immersion or training experience were compared on their cognitive control abilities, with the participants' demographic factors strictly controlled. The results showed that the L2 immersion group and the L2 speaking group had faster speed than the control group in the Flanker task, whereas the L2 immersion group had fewer errors than the other two groups in the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). These results generally provide evidence in favour of the Adaptive Control Hypothesis, specifying that natural L2 immersion and L2 public speaking training experiences are distinctively related to cognitive control. The current study is the first of its kind to link specific bilingual experiences (natural L2 immersion vs. intensive L2 public speaking) with different components of cognitive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhilong Xie
- Foreign Languages College, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
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17
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Kheder S, Kaan E. Cognitive control in bilinguals: Proficiency and code-switching both matter. Cognition 2021; 209:104575. [PMID: 33450440 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
We examined the impact of bilingualism as a construct of both language usage and language proficiency on the effectiveness of cognitive control. In particular, we asked whether the frequency of daily dense code-switching - frequent change of language within and between sentences with the same interlocutor- and the level of L2 proficiency separately and or interactively affect cognitive control efficiency in the Simon task. Results from 134 bilinguals showed that frequently code-switching bilinguals had fewer errors and their accuracy rate improved over trials leading to a smaller Simon effect. For response times (RTs), however, L2 proficiency modulated the Simon effect, and interacted with code-switching frequency in intricate ways in modulating overall RTs over trials. Crucially, highly proficient frequently code-switching bilinguals were better at conflict adaptation. These results show that bilinguals differ among themselves, and that researchers need to take both proficiency and language use into account to test the impact of bilingual experience on cognitive control. Bilingualism should be regarded as a continuum, with many different factors contributing to the language experience and affecting cognitive functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Souad Kheder
- Department of Linguistics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
| | - Edith Kaan
- Department of Linguistics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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18
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Vulchanova M, Guijarro-Fuentes P, Collier J, Vulchanov V. Shrinking Your Deictic System: How Far Can You Go? Front Psychol 2020; 11:575497. [PMID: 33343451 PMCID: PMC7738459 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.575497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Languages around the world differ in terms of the number of adnominal and pronominal demonstratives they require, as well as the factors that impact on their felicitous use. Given this cross-linguistic variation in deictic demonstrative terms, and the features that determine their felicitous use, an open question is how this is accommodated within bilingual cognition and language. In particular, we were interested in the extent to which bilingual language exposure and practice might alter the way in which a bilingual is using deictic demonstratives in their first language. Recent research on language attrition suggests that L2 learning selectively affects aspects of the native language, with some domains of language competence being more vulnerable than others. If demonstratives are basic, and acquired relatively early, they should be less susceptible to change and attrition. This was the hypothesis we went on to test in the current study. We tested two groups of native Spanish speakers, a control group living in Spain and an experimental group living in Norway using the (Spatial) Memory game paradigm. Contra to our expectations, the results indicate a significant difference between the two groups in use of deictic terms, indicative of a change in the preferred number of terms used. This suggests that deictic referential systems may change over time under pressure from bilingual language exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mila Vulchanova
- Language Acquisition and Language Processing Lab, Department of Language and Literature, Norwegian University of Science & Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Pedro Guijarro-Fuentes
- Departamento de Filología Española, Moderna y Clásica, Universidad de Islas Baleares, Palma, Spain
| | - Jacqueline Collier
- School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Valentin Vulchanov
- Language Acquisition and Language Processing Lab, Department of Language and Literature, Norwegian University of Science & Technology, Trondheim, Norway
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19
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Declerck M, Kleinman D, Gollan TH. Which bilinguals reverse language dominance and why? Cognition 2020; 204:104384. [PMID: 32634738 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
When naming pictures in mixed-language blocks, bilinguals sometimes exhibit reversed language dominance effects. These have been attributed to proactive inhibitory control of the dominant language, or adaptation of language-specific selection thresholds. Even though reversed dominance arguably provides the most striking evidence of inhibition, few studies have focused on when and why this effect occurs. We investigated this topic in a large data set (>400 bilinguals) using a continuous and objective measure of language dominance. We found larger reversed language dominance effects in more (vs. less) balanced bilinguals in mixed-language blocks. However, after taking into account standard language dominance effects in single-language blocks, the extent to which dominance effects changed across block types was actually significantly smaller for more balanced bilinguals, which is in line with the inhibitory control account. Interestingly, dominance reversal was not associated with increased overall speed in the mixed-language block. Thus, dominance reversal is more likely in balanced bilinguals not because they are better at applying proactive control, but because they are more likely to overshoot when the goal is to make both languages about equally accessible - and overall, unbalanced bilinguals apply more proactive control than balanced bilinguals to facilitate picture naming in mixed-language blocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Declerck
- Linguistics and Literary Studies Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
| | | | - Tamar H Gollan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, USA
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20
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Novitskiy N, Shtyrov Y, Myachykov A. Conflict Resolution Ability in Late Bilinguals Improves With Increased Second-Language Proficiency: ANT Evidence. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2825. [PMID: 31920860 PMCID: PMC6934129 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Experimental data supporting the claim that bilingual speakers have superior cognitive control abilities are often questioned with respect to certain methodological limitations. One such limitation is the use of between-group design, potentially confounding bilingual status with other factors (e.g., socioeconomic status). Here, we used a homogeneous sample of 57 young adult Russian-English late unbalanced bilinguals who were administrated Attention Network Task (ANT) together with an L2 proficiency task. We tested the correlation of L2 vocabulary performance with conflict and alertness measures and overall reaction times in ANT performance. Overall, participants demonstrated better conflict resolution with the increase in their second language competence, with 8% of variance in conflict resolution explained by L2 proficiency. Our results support the notion of regular correspondence between bilingualism and cognitive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolay Novitskiy
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, China
- Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, China
| | - Yury Shtyrov
- Centre for Cognition and Decision Making, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics, Saint Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Andriy Myachykov
- Centre for Cognition and Decision Making, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
- Department of Psychology, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
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21
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Too late to be grounded? Motor resonance for action words acquired after middle childhood. Brain Cogn 2019; 138:105509. [PMID: 31855702 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2019.105509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 11/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Though well established for languages acquired in infancy, the role of embodied mechanisms remains poorly understood for languages learned in middle childhood and adulthood. To bridge this gap, we examined 34 experiments that assessed sensorimotor resonance during processing of action-related words in real and artificial languages acquired since age 7 and into adulthood. Evidence from late bilinguals indicates that foreign-language action words modulate neural activity in motor circuits and predictably facilitate or delay physical movements (even in an effector-specific fashion), with outcomes that prove partly sensitive to language proficiency. Also, data from newly learned vocabularies suggest that embodied effects emerge after brief periods of adult language exposure, remain stable through time, and hinge on the performance of bodily movements (and, seemingly, on action observation, too). In sum, our work shows that infant language exposure is not indispensable for the recruitment of embodied mechanisms during language processing, a finding that carries non-trivial theoretical, pedagogical, and clinical implications for neurolinguistics, in general, and bilingualism research, in particular.
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22
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Seo R, Prat CS. Proactive and Reactive Language Control in the Bilingual Brain. Brain Sci 2019; 9:E161. [PMID: 31295815 PMCID: PMC6680427 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci9070161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The current experiment investigated bilingual language control within the dual mechanisms framework. In an fMRI investigation of morphosyntactic rule production, the presence or absence of target language cues was manipulated to investigate the neural mechanisms associated with proactive and reactive global language control mechanisms. Patterns of activation across nine regions of interest (ROIs) were investigated in seventeen early Spanish-English bilingual speakers. A cue by phase interaction in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and pre-supplementary motor area (Pre-SMA) was observed, suggesting that these regions were more active during cue phases, and less active during execution phases, when target language cues were presented. Individual differences analyses showed that variability in proactive control (informative > non-informative cued trial activation during preparation) in the basal ganglia was correlated with proactive control in the left DLPFC, left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and right precentral ROIs. In contrast, reactive control (non-informative > informative cued activation during execution) in the anterior cingulate was correlated with reactive control in the Pre-SMA and left orbital frontal ROIs. The results suggest that, consistent with the dual mechanisms framework, bilinguals differ in the degree to which they use cues to proactively prepare to use a target language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roy Seo
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, 119A Guthrie Hall, UW Box 351525, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
- Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, 1715 Columbia Road N., Portage Bay Building, Box 357988, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
| | - Chantel S Prat
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, 119A Guthrie Hall, UW Box 351525, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, 1715 Columbia Road N., Portage Bay Building, Box 357988, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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