Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DGLC (Domain-general language control: Evidence from the switching paradigm)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2019-07-01 al 2021-06-30
According to the bilingual literature, language selection is the principal challenge for the bilingual mind, as both languages are typically activated in parallel, and thus compete with one another. The process that alleviates this competition is called language control, and since the conception of this research field, it has been proposed that language control might be domain general and thus part of the more general cognitive control. Models of bilingual language processing have proposed the full range of possibilities regarding whether language control is domain general, ranging from models that posit that language control is entirely domain general, over to models that assume that language control is partly domain general and partly language-specific, and still other models that propose that language control is not domain general at all. The former models typically assume that domain-general control processes occur between task schemas, which are mental devices that are implemented to achieve task-specific goals (e.g. speaking a language or performing a task). Language-specific control processes, on the other hand, are assumed to occur between translation-equivalent word representations within the language system. Unfortunately, the confusing pattern of results across and within studies have not provided a straightforward indication of whether language control is domain general. In the current proposal, we suggested to examine the possibility of domain-general language control in a more nuanced manner. We focused on whether similar underlying mechanisms are implemented during control in different contexts and whether control processes are implemented at the same functional processing stages across different contexts.
This project is important on a societal level as it grants us insight into how more than half the world's population is able to process language, since more than half world’s population is proficient in two or more languages (Grosjean, 2010). Moreover, it also provides us insight into the mechanism of language control. In turn, this will provide us a better insight into bilingual aphasic patients, who have a deficit language control process.
This project is important on a societal level as it grants us insight into how more than half the world's population is able to process language, since more than half world’s population is proficient in two or more languages (Grosjean, 2010). Moreover, it also provides us insight into the mechanism of language control. In turn, this will provide us a better insight into bilingual aphasic patients, who have a deficit language control process.
During the eight months of this project, we ran an ERP study in which a group of unimodal bilinguals (English-Spanish) and a group of bimodal bilinguals (English-American Sign Language) performed a task switching and language switching task. During the language switching part, the bilinguals had to name the colors in either language in one block and the category of each stimulus in either language in another block (see Figure). In the task switching part, the bilinguals had to name the category or color in an English block and in a Spanish block. This setup allowed for the direct comparison of language- and task-switch costs, which are a measure of language control and cognitive control, respectively. The preliminary behavioral (i.e. reaction times and error rates) and ERP results indicate that there is quite some overlap between language switching and task switching. This entails that this first ERP study of language and task switching provides evidence for some overlap between language control and cognitive control. Put differently, there seems to be evidence that language control is domain general to some degree. Once these data have been entirely analyzed, we will finish the manuscript and submit it for publication to an international peer-review journal with an open access option.
Due to the shortening of the project (8 months instead of 36 months), no other studies were performed.
Due to the shortening of the project (8 months instead of 36 months), no other studies were performed.
In this project, we performed the first ERP study in which language switching was compared to task switching. While we only have preliminary results so far, they seem to indicate that language control is to some degree domain general.
The main impact of this project is that researchers of bilingualism and cognitive control will have a much better insight into how domain general these processes are. These insights might lend some insight for patients with control deficits, such as bilingual aphasic patients.
The main impact of this project is that researchers of bilingualism and cognitive control will have a much better insight into how domain general these processes are. These insights might lend some insight for patients with control deficits, such as bilingual aphasic patients.