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Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task
05:31

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Published on: February 26, 2020

Executive control in language processing.

Zheng Ye1, Xiaolin Zhou

  • 1Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.

Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
|September 15, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Executive functions, or executive control, are crucial for organizing thoughts in communication. These cognitive processes manage language production and comprehension, even in bilinguals managing multiple languages.

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Last Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task
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Examining Online Syntactic Processing of Spoken Complex Sentences in Chinese Using Dual-Modal Interference Tasks
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09:27

Using Eye Movements Recorded in the Visual World Paradigm to Explore the Online Processing of Spoken Language

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Psycholinguistics
  • Executive Functions

Background:

  • Effective communication relies on executive control to organize thoughts and actions.
  • Executive functions enable speakers to select appropriate words and listeners to interpret meaning.
  • Bilinguals utilize executive functions for language selection and switching.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review evidence on the role of domain-general executive control in language processing.
  • To explain how executive functions manage interference in language comprehension and production.
  • To explore the neural underpinnings of executive control in linguistic tasks.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing empirical evidence.
  • Analysis of studies investigating executive functions in language tasks.
  • Synthesis of findings on neural networks supporting executive control in language.

Main Results:

  • Executive functions are integral to both language production and comprehension.
  • These control mechanisms are essential for managing interference within and across languages.
  • Similar control mechanisms are involved in language, perception, and attention.

Conclusions:

  • Domain-general executive control plays a vital role in diverse aspects of language processing.
  • Frontal, parietal, and sub-cortical brain structures support executive functions in language.
  • Understanding executive control enhances insights into communication, cognition, and bilingualism.