Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Language and Cognition01:27

Language and Cognition

Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
Working Memory01:24

Working Memory

Working memory refers to a combination of components, including short-term memory and attention, that allow an individual to hold information temporarily as we perform cognitive tasks. It is an essential cognitive function that enables the execution of complex tasks such as problem-solving, comprehension, and reasoning. Unlike short-term memory, which simply involves the storage of information for a brief period, working memory involves the active manipulation and processing of this information.
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language01:10

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory01:22

Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory

Improving short-term memory can be achieved through techniques like chunking and rehearsal. Chunking involves organizing information into larger, more manageable units. This technique is particularly useful for information that exceeds the typical memory span of between five and nine items. For instance, logging into an online account with a password like "ta89vq0179gz" involves grouping letters and numbers into three chunks—ta89, vq01, and 79gz. It makes large amounts of information more...
High-Level and Low-Level Awareness01:19

High-Level and Low-Level Awareness

Controlled processes in human consciousness represent high-alert mental states where individuals deliberately focus their attention on achieving specific goals. Controlled processes can be seen in situations like mastering new technology, where a person might become so absorbed that they ignore surrounding distractions. Such processes involve selective attention, requiring one to concentrate on particular elements of experience while disregarding others. These are governed by executive...
Interference and Decay01:16

Interference and Decay

Forgetting is a complex cognitive phenomenon influenced by several factors, among which interference and decay are particularly prominent. These processes explain why individuals often struggle to retrieve specific information from memory, leading to lapses in recall that can be observed in everyday situations.
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Languages and Psychotherapy: The Effect of Foreign Language on Fear Extinction.

Psicothema·2023
Same author

Foreign Language Processing Undermines Affect Labeling.

Affective science·2022
Same author

On the flexibility of the sound-to-meaning mapping when listening to native and foreign-accented speech.

Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior·2022
Same author

The source of attention modulations in bilingual language contexts.

Brain and language·2021
Same author

Rapid attentional adaptations due to language (monolingual vs bilingual) context.

Neuropsychologia·2021
Same author

Early detection of language categories in face perception.

Scientific reports·2021
Same journal

Evidence for abstract spatial concept learning in young animals.

Cognition·2026
Same journal

Blurred lines or clear boundaries? Synchrony and social dominance shape domain-specific self-other processing.

Cognition·2026
Same journal

Knowability predicts curiosity and learning.

Cognition·2026
Same journal

Throwing good effort after bad: Evidence for a sunk-cost effect in cognitive effort-based decision-making.

Cognition·2026
Same journal

Cross-linguistic differences in incremental planning under uncertainty.

Cognition·2026
Same journal

Sensory attenuation scales with the strength of action-outcome coupling: A psychophysical study.

Cognition·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 29, 2026

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task
05:31

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Published on: February 26, 2020

Escaping capture: bilingualism modulates distraction from working memory.

Mireia Hernández1, Albert Costa, Glyn W Humphreys

  • 1Departament de Psicologia Bàsica, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.

Cognition
|September 6, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Bilingualism enhances cognitive control, particularly for attention guided by working memory (WM). Bilinguals are less distracted by irrelevant WM information but are similarly affected by external visual cues compared to monolinguals.

More Related Videos

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
10:38

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

Published on: July 16, 2015

Using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Measure Set-Specific Capture, a Consequence of Distraction While Multitasking
05:58

Using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Measure Set-Specific Capture, a Consequence of Distraction While Multitasking

Published on: August 29, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 29, 2026

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task
05:31

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Published on: February 26, 2020

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
10:38

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

Published on: July 16, 2015

Using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Measure Set-Specific Capture, a Consequence of Distraction While Multitasking
05:58

Using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Measure Set-Specific Capture, a Consequence of Distraction While Multitasking

Published on: August 29, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Linguistics

Background:

  • Bilingualism is increasingly recognized for its cognitive benefits.
  • Cognitive control, the ability to manage attention and suppress distractions, is a key area of research.
  • Understanding how bilingualism impacts attentional processes is crucial for cognitive science.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether bilingualism improves cognitive control over visual attention.
  • To examine the differential effects of bilingualism on attention guided by working memory versus bottom-up cueing.
  • To compare the attentional efficiency of bilinguals and monolinguals in various visual search tasks.

Main Methods:

  • Comparison of highly-proficient Catalan-Spanish bilinguals with Spanish monolinguals.
  • Three visual search conditions: working memory (WM) distraction, visual priming (Identify), and singleton distraction.
  • Measurement of reaction times and attentional capture across conditions.

Main Results:

  • Bilinguals were generally faster than monolinguals across all conditions.
  • Bilinguals showed reduced attentional capture by irrelevant information held in working memory.
  • Bilinguals and monolinguals were similarly affected by bottom-up visual priming and singleton distractors.

Conclusions:

  • Bilingualism enhances top-down cognitive control, specifically in managing attention influenced by working memory.
  • The benefits of bilingualism on attention appear more pronounced for internally driven (WM-mediated) guidance than for externally driven (bottom-up) capture.
  • These findings suggest bilingualism strengthens the ability to maintain distinct representations in working memory and visual attention.