It is Left, Right? A Study on Linguistic Interference and Inhibitory Control in Late Language Learners

Speaking, reading, writing and understanding two languages – better known as bilingualism – has been a common trait among people that live in countries with two national languages (e.g., Dutch and French in Belgium). Today, bilingualism is an increasingly common phenomenon due to globalization, growing transnational migration and open borders (Abutalebi & Weekes, 2014). From an academic perspective, bilingualism has become an emerging topic in the field of (psycho)linguistics. Over the past decades, researchers have been focused on examining language processing mechanisms in bilinguals as opposed to monolinguals (e.g., Blumenfeld & Marian, 2011; Bialystok et al., 2008). A rationale for this, is that the presence of two languages provide us more detailed language and cognitive models, which in turn inform our understanding of how languages work and vice versa (Kroll et al., 2012). An important insight in bilingual language processing, for example, is that both languages are...Show moreSpeaking, reading, writing and understanding two languages – better known as bilingualism – has been a common trait among people that live in countries with two national languages (e.g., Dutch and French in Belgium). Today, bilingualism is an increasingly common phenomenon due to globalization, growing transnational migration and open borders (Abutalebi & Weekes, 2014). From an academic perspective, bilingualism has become an emerging topic in the field of (psycho)linguistics. Over the past decades, researchers have been focused on examining language processing mechanisms in bilinguals as opposed to monolinguals (e.g., Blumenfeld & Marian, 2011; Bialystok et al., 2008). A rationale for this, is that the presence of two languages provide us more detailed language and cognitive models, which in turn inform our understanding of how languages work and vice versa (Kroll et al., 2012). An important insight in bilingual language processing, for example, is that both languages are simultaneously active, independently of the language of the task (e.g., Colomé & Miozzo, 2010; Hermans et al., 2011). This parallel activation results in competition between the two languages (linguistic interference), which suggests that bilinguals can supress (inhibitory control) the irrelevant language (e.g., Hermans et al., 2011; Marian & Spivey, 2003). A growing body of research found evidence that early bilinguals (i.e., earlyage bilingual acquisition) have stronger inhibitory control skills compared to monolinguals (e.g., Blumenfeld & Marian, 2011; Bialystok et al., 2008). However, much less research has been done on task performance in late language learners (i.e., learning a new language after native language acquisition and at an older age). Early bilinguals, who constantly have to control interference from two competing languages and have done so their whole life, differ a great deal from late language learners, who have done so less than early bilinguals as they are still in the middle of the process of learning a new language (Festman and Münte, 2012). 3 In the present study, I aimed to shed light on linguistic interference and inhibitory control processes in late language learners. In the following sections, I will first discuss early versus late bilingualism and how both groups are reflected in different models of bilingual processing. Then, I will explain bilingualism in light of parallel activity, linguistic interference, inhibitory control and Stroop performance. Next, I will outline the current study and research questions, after which the methodology is presented. Lastly, I will reveal the results, elaborate on implications for the present study, discuss suggestions for future research and give a small conclusion.Show less

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It is Left, Right? A Study on Linguistic Interference and Inhibitory Control in Late Language Learners