Context affects L1 but not L2 during bilingual word recognition: an MEG study

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Psycholinguistics
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Bilinguals constantly manage two active languages, facing challenges in preventing interference from the irrelevant language.
• Understanding the neural mechanisms of language control and activation is crucial for comprehending bilingual cognition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how contextual factors influence language activation levels in bilinguals.
• To examine the temporal dynamics of language processing and interference during auditory word recognition.

Main Methods:

• Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to record brain activity.
• Auditory word lists with manipulated language probabilities were presented to Finnish-English bilinguals.
• The N400m response in temporal cortices was analyzed between 300 and 500 ms post-stimulus.

Main Results:

• An asymmetric language switching effect was observed in the N400m response.
• Responses to native language (L1 Finnish) words were modulated by the presentation context.
• Responses to second language (L2 English) words showed less contextual modulation.

Conclusions:

• Language activation is dynamically controlled by contextual factors in bilinguals.
• The findings support models where the language system is subject to inhibitory influences.
• Stronger languages may be actively suppressed in an L2 context to facilitate comprehension.