The neural basis of free language choice in bilingual speakers: Disentangling language choice and language execution

Reverberi, Carlo; Kuhlen, Anna K.; Seyed-Allaei, Shima; Greulich, R. Stefan; Costa, Albert; Abutalebi, Jubin; Haynes, John‐Dylan

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.05.025

Cited by 32 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Indeed, even with equal behavioural performances, the changes in activation in anticipated ROI showed that different brain strategies are actually being used for a similar result. This type of result has also been reported in other bilingual studies (e.g., Ansaldo et al, 2015; Reverberi et al, 2018). Measures of brain activity could be even more valuable in situations such as that encountered here, in which the processing of stimuli does not lead to differences in performance in spite of differences in language proficiency/formational level and age.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Second-language proficiency modulates the brain language control network in bilingual translators: an event-related fMRI study

et al. 2019

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In bilinguals, language proficiency has been advanced to influence the involvement of domain-general control networks in language selection. We assessed, in university student translators with moderate- to high-second language (L2) proficiency depending on their translation educational level, the functional activity in the key language and control areas (the caudate nucleus, anterior cingulate, and prefrontal cortex), during task- and language-selection in an oral production context. We found that L2 proficiency influenced the relative involvement of our regions of interest during language selection vs domain-general cognitive control processes. While the left middle frontal and left caudate areas were more involved during linguistic than alphanumeric task selection in the low L2 proficiency group, these regions were similarly involved in both tasks in the high-L2 proficiency group. These findings suggest that language selection relies primarily on a network within domain-general cognitive control system with an increase in resource needs when L2 proficiency is low.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Second-language proficiency modulates the brain language control network in bilingual translators: an event-related fMRI study

et al. 2019

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“…These results extended previous research by the same group [51] that had also shown cost-free switching when participants named each picture consistently in the same language (reflecting bottom-up availability of the label) as opposed to choosing one language or the other randomly for each picture to ensure they were using both languages equally as frequently, as required by the experimenters (see also [52], their Experiment 1, Figure 2 showing lack of switch costs for voluntary switching in balanced bilinguals). Other experiments where participants also chose freely which language to use replicated reduced behavioral switch costs and distinct engagement of dlPFC (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) and SMA/ACC during voluntary switching as compared to forced switching [53], (see also [54], although it remains to be corroborated whether activation in the striatal and cerebellar regions, which are also integral to language control, show similar reductions).…”

Section: Glossarymentioning

confidence: 89%

Ecological Validity in Bilingualism Research and the Bilingual Advantage

Blanco-Elorrieta

Pylkkänen

2018

Trends in Cognitive Sciences

105

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Traditional research in bilingualism has consistently found that switching languages is effortful, placing demands on neural systems of cognitive control. This finding runs counter to most bilinguals' intuitive experience. We review a body of recent work showing that, in fact, when bilinguals switch languages voluntarily, both the behavioral cost of switching and the associated recruitment of cognitive control areas are greatly reduced or completely eliminated. This suggests that switching languages is not inherently effortful, but rather, particular communicative demands may make it costly. The new evidence also challenges the basic premise underlying the bilingual advantage hypothesis. We articulate a more nuanced version of it, in which the advantage is limited to bilinguals who frequently switch languages based on external constraints. Language-Switching and Traditional Ways to Model It Commanding more than one language is the norm for the majority of the world's population [1,2], and multilingualism has been notably increasing in recent years [3]. A remarkable feature of multilingual individuals is their ability to quickly and accurately switch back and forth between their different languages. Thus, multilingual individuals not only command each of their languages independently, but they are additionally able to alternate and coordinate the rules that govern each language. What are the mechanisms that allow bilingual individuals to effectively do this? How are these systems organized to achieve seamless transitions from one language to the other? Highlights Results of traditional language switching tasks have suggested that language switching is behaviorally effortful and requires increased involvement of cognitive control areas. Recent evidence has challenged this conclusion, showing that when bilinguals are allowed to switch languages freely, this cognitive effort and behavioral cost are either greatly reduced or completely eliminated.

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“…Studies that consequently let bilingual participants voluntarily switch between their languages in the lab have in some cases observed switch costs comparable to traditional switch costs observed in cued language-switching paradigms, but in other cases found reduced switch costs or even no switch costs at all (Blanco-Elorrieta & Pylkkänen, 2017;De Bruin et al, 2018;Gollan & Ferreira, 2009;Gollan, Kleinman, & Wierenga, 2014;Gross & Kaushanskaya, 2015;Jevtović, Duñabeitia, & de Bruin, 2019;Kleinman & Gollan, 2016;Reverberi et al, 2018). Findings on voluntary language switching may generalize mostly to dual language contexts in which language task schemas are not in competition (Green & Abutalebi, 2013;Heredia & Altarriba, 2001).…”

Section: Ecological Validity Of Research Findings On Bilingual Languamentioning

confidence: 98%

Bilingual switching between languages and listeners: Insights from immersive virtual reality

Peeters

2020

Cognition

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Perhaps the main advantage of being bilingual is the capacity to communicate with interlocutors that have different language backgrounds. In the life of a bilingual, switching interlocutors hence sometimes involves switching languages. We know that the capacity to switch from one language to another is supported by control mechanisms, such as task-set reconfiguration. This study investigates whether similar neurophysiological mechanisms support bilingual switching between different listeners, within and across languages. A group of 48 unbalanced Dutch-English bilinguals named pictures for two monolingual Dutch and two monolingual English life-size virtual listeners in an immersive virtual reality environment. In terms of reaction times, switching languages came at a cost over and above the significant cost of switching from one listener to another. Analysis of event-related potentials showed similar electrophysiological correlates for switching listeners and switching languages. However, it was found that having to switch listeners and languages at the same time delays the onset of lexical processes more than a switch between listeners within the same language. Findings are interpreted in light of the interplay between proactive (sustained inhibition) and reactive (task-set reconfiguration) control in bilingual speech production. It is argued that a possible bilingual advantage in executive control may not be due to the process of switching per se. This study paves the way for the study of bilingual language switching in ecologically valid, naturalistic, experimental settings. 1.1. Language switching: switch costs and reversed language dominance Bilinguals' ability to switch languages on the basis of an external cue has been investigated extensively in studies using the cued languageswitching paradigm (

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The neural basis of free language choice in bilingual speakers: Disentangling language choice and language execution

Cited by 32 publications

References 46 publications

Second-language proficiency modulates the brain language control network in bilingual translators: an event-related fMRI study

Second-language proficiency modulates the brain language control network in bilingual translators: an event-related fMRI study

Ecological Validity in Bilingualism Research and the Bilingual Advantage

Bilingual switching between languages and listeners: Insights from immersive virtual reality

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