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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Published on: February 26, 2020

Cross-language lexical processes and inhibitory control.

Jared A Linck¹, Noriko Hoshino, Judith F Kroll

¹Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University.

The Mental Lexicon

|November 13, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Bilinguals and second language learners show reduced cross-language activation when they have better executive functions. Enhanced inhibitory control and working memory improve performance in language tasks.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Psycholinguistics
Second Language Acquisition

Background:

Bilinguals and second language (L2) learners exhibit parallel activation of both languages during single-language processing.
This parallel activation can lead to language competition, necessitating inhibitory control mechanisms for effective language processing.
Previous research suggests bilingualism may confer general cognitive control benefits, but the link to specific language task performance is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between enhanced executive functions (inhibitory control, working memory) and performance in L2 learners and bilinguals.
To determine if individual differences in inhibitory control influence lexical comprehension and production tasks in bilingual individuals.

Main Methods:

Analysis of data from two studies involving bilinguals and L2 learners.
Utilized a range of language processing tasks, including lexical comprehension and production.
Assessed executive functions using a working memory measure and the Simon task (a nonlinguistic measure of inhibitory control).

Main Results:

Greater working memory capacity was associated with reduced cross-language activation in a sentence context word naming task.
Enhanced inhibitory control correlated with a reduction in cross-language activation during a picture naming task.
Identified other potential factors related to inhibitory control's influence on language processing.

Conclusions:

Executive functions, specifically working memory and inhibitory control, play a crucial role in managing cross-language activation in bilinguals and L2 learners.
These findings support models of bilingual lexical access that incorporate inhibitory control mechanisms.
Individual differences in cognitive control abilities impact language processing efficiency in multilingual individuals.