Individual differences in inhibitory control relate to bilingual spoken word processing

We investigated whether individual differences in inhibitory control relate to bilingual spoken word recognition. While their eye movements were monitored, native English and native French English–French bilinguals listened to English words (e.g., field) and looked at pictures corresponding to the target, a within-language competitor (feet), a French cross-language competitor (fille “girl”), or both, and unrelated filler pictures. We derived cognitive and oculomotor inhibitory control measures from a battery of inhibitory control tasks. Increased cognitive inhibitory control was linked to less within-language competition for all bilinguals, and less cross-language competition for native French low-English-exposure bilinguals. Increased oculomotor inhibitory control was linked to less within-language competition for all native French bilinguals, and less cross-language competition for native French low-English-exposure bilinguals. The results extend previous findings (Blumenfeld & Marian, 2011), and suggest that individual differences in inhibitory control relate to bilingual spoken word processing.

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Spoken word processing in bilingual older adults

Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism ◽

10.1075/lab.18028.tit ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Debra Titone ◽

Julie Mercier ◽

Aruna Sudarshan ◽

Irina Pivneva ◽

Jason Gullifer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Word Recognition ◽

Word Processing ◽

Spoken Word Recognition ◽

Spoken Word ◽

Target Language ◽

Younger Adults ◽

Age Related ◽

Language Competition ◽

Cross Language

Abstract We investigated whether bilingual older adults experience within- and cross-language competition during spoken word recognition similarly to younger adults matched on age of second language (L2) acquisition, objective and subjective L2 proficiency, and current L2 exposure. In a visual world eye-tracking paradigm, older and younger adults, who were French-dominant or English-dominant English-French bilinguals, listened to English words, and looked at pictures including the target (field), a within-language competitor (feet) or cross-language (French) competitor (fille, “girl”), and unrelated filler pictures while their eye movements were monitored. Older adults showed evidence of greater within-language competition as a function of increased target and competitor phonological overlap. There was some evidence of age-related differences in cross-language competition, however, it was quite small overall and varied as a function of target language proficiency. These results suggest that greater within- and possibly cross-language lexical competition during spoken word recognition may underlie some of the communication difficulties encountered by healthy bilingual older adults.

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Spoken Word Processing in Bilingual Older Adults: Assessing Within-and Cross-Language Competition using the Visual World Task

10.31234/osf.io/rnphy ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Debra Titone ◽

Jason Gullifer ◽

Shari Baum

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Word Recognition ◽

Word Processing ◽

Spoken Word Recognition ◽

Spoken Word ◽

Target Language ◽

Visual World ◽

Younger Adults ◽

Language Competition ◽

Cross Language

We investigated whether bilingual older adults experience within- and cross-language competition during spoken word recognition similarly to younger adults matched on age of second language (L2) acquisition, objective and subjective L2 proficiency, and current L2 exposure. In a visual world eye-tracking paradigm, older and younger adults, who were French-dominant or English-dominant English-French bilinguals, listened to English words, and looked at pictures including the target (field), a within-language competitor (feet) or cross-language (French) competitor (fille, “girl”), and unrelated filler pictures while their eye movements were monitored. Older adults showed evidence of greater within-language competition as a function of increased target and competitor phonological overlap. There was some evidence of age-related differences in cross-language competition, however, it was quite small overall and varied as a function of target language proficiency. These results suggest that greater within- and possibly cross-language lexical competition during spoken word recognition may underlie some of the communication difficulties encountered by healthy bilingual older adults.

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An Investigation of Phonology and Orthography in Spoken-Word Recognition

The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology Section A ◽

10.1080/02724980244000323 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 56 (2) ◽

pp. 233-262 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Louisa M. Slowiaczek ◽

Emily G. Soltano ◽

Shani J. Wieting ◽

Karyn L. Bishop

Keyword(s):

Word Processing ◽

Response Times ◽

Spoken Word Recognition ◽

Spoken Word ◽

Phonological Information ◽

Single Trial ◽

Strategic Processing ◽

Subsequent Trial ◽

Spoken Word Processing ◽

Prime Target

The possible influence of initial phonological and/or orthographic information on spoken-word processing was examined in six experiments modelled after and extending the work Jakimik, Cole, and Rudnicky (1985). Following Jakimik et al., Experiment 1 used polysyllabic primes with monosyllabic targets (e.g., BUCKLE—BUCK / b ^ k @ l /—/ b ^ k /; MYSTERY—MISS, / m I s t 2 r i /—/ m I s /). Experiments 2, 3, and 4 used polysyllabic primes and polysyllabic targets whose initial syllables shared phonological information (e.g., NUISANCE—NOODLE, / n u s I n s /—/ n u d @ l /), orthographic information (e.g., RATIO—RATIFY, /r e Si o /—/ r æ t I f a I /), both (e.g., FUNNEL—FUNNY, / f ^ n @ l /—/ f ^ n i /), or were unrelated (e.g., SERMON—NOODLE, / s Å m @ n /—/ n u d @ l /). Participants engaged in a lexical decision (Experiments 1, 3, and 4) or a shadowing (Experiment 2) task with a single-trial (Experiments 2 and 3) or subsequent-trial (Experiments 1 and 4) priming procedure. Experiment 5 tested primes and targets that varied in the number of shared graphemes while holding shared phonemes constant at one. Experiment 6 used the procedures of Experiment 2 but a low proportion of related trials. Results revealed that response times were facilitated for prime—target pairs that shared initial phonological and orthographic information. These results were confirmed under conditions when strategic processing was greatly reduced suggesting that phonological and orthographic information is automatically activated during spoken-word processing.

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The role of prior language context on bilingual spoken word processing: Evidence from the visual world task

Bilingualism Language and Cognition ◽

10.1017/s1366728914000340 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 376-399 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

JULIE MERCIER ◽

IRINA PIVNEVA ◽

DEBRA TITONE

Keyword(s):

Word Processing ◽

Spoken Word ◽

Target Language ◽

Cognitive Resources ◽

Visual World ◽

Language Competition ◽

Language Activation ◽

Language Context ◽

Cross Language ◽

Switch Group

We investigated whether speaking in one language affects cross- and within-language activation when subsequently switching to a task performed in the same or different language. English–French bilinguals (L1 English, n = 29; L1 French, n = 28) were randomly assigned to a prior language context condition consisting of a spontaneous production task in English (the no-switch group) or in French (the switch group). Participants then performed an English spoken language comprehension task using the visual world method. The key result was that the switch group showed less evidence of cross-language competition than the no-switch group, consistent with the notion of an active inhibition of a prior language in the switch group. These data suggest that proficient bilinguals can globally suppress a non-target language, whether it is L1 or L2, though doing so requires cognitive resources that may be diverted from other demands, such as controlling within-language competition.

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