Using event-related potentials to track the scope and time course of inhibition during bilingual speech

Open Access
- Author:
- McClain, Rhonda
- Graduate Program:
- Psychology
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- May 13, 2015
- Committee Members:
- Judith Fran Kroll, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Judith Fran Kroll, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Adriana Van Hell, Committee Member
David A. Rosenbaum, Committee Member
Carol Anne Miller, Committee Member
Eleonora Rossi, Special Member
Natasha Tokowicz, Special Member - Keywords:
- bilingualism
second language learning
event-related potentials
inhibition
language control - Abstract:
- Parallel activation of words in both the bilingual’s two languages has been observed even when bilinguals plan to speak a single word. This observation has sparked intense research on the issue of how bilinguals prevent the irrelevant language from intruding during speech production. The general consensus is that bilinguals exploit cognitive control to regulate the two languages during speech planning. Research demonstrates that, primarily, it is the dominant language (L1) that is regulated during speech planning to enable the less proficient language (L2) to be spoken. Recent research also suggests that regulation of the L1 can be performed via several mechanisms that vary in scope and time course. Evidence suggests that some mechanisms are short-lived, whereas others are long-lasting in time course. In addition, there appear to be mechanisms that restrict the access of specific words in the lexicon and some that affect the whole language itself, potentially producing extended consequences for the production system and for cognition more generally, that distinguish bilinguals from monolinguals. It is not yet known how mechanisms that exist for planning speech in the L2 manifest for L2 learners, for whom regulation of the L1 is anticipated to be even more crucial for enabling the L2 to be spoken. In addition, the issue of whether regulation during speech has consequences for L2 learners’ cognition is even less well understood. This dissertation aims to better understand the impact of L1 regulation for L2 learners’ speech planning as well as their cognitive functions. The innovation of this dissertation is to observe the processes that enable L2 production for learners who are limited in speaking the L2, by examining consequences of attempting to speak the L2 on the L1. The evidence presented here, although preliminary, suggests that the dominant language is affected when L2 learners speak the L2 and creates consequences for how learners engage cognitive control.