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Updated: Feb 2, 2026

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task
Published on: February 26, 2020
Activation of the language control network in bilingual visual word recognition
David Peeters1, Flora Vanlangendonck2, Shirley-Ann Rueschemeyer3
1Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Tilburg University, Department of Communication and Cognition, Tilburg, the Netherlands; Radboud University, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Bilinguals utilize a shared brain network for both language production and comprehension. This network helps manage language control, enabling efficient understanding of context-relevant words.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Psycholinguistics
Background:
- Bilingual language production involves a specific language control network.
- The role of this network in bilingual language comprehension remains less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the brain areas involved in language control during bilingual language comprehension.
- To determine if the language control network is shared between language production and comprehension.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to monitor brain activity.
- Dutch-English bilinguals participated in two experimental sessions.
- Participants read words with varying cross-linguistic form and meaning overlap, with stimulus list composition manipulated to alter control demands.
Main Results:
- Activation of the language control network was observed during bilingual language comprehension.
- This activation correlated with cross-linguistic form and meaning overlap, and stimulus list composition.
- Evidence suggests the language control network is recruited for comprehension, not just production.
Conclusions:
- The language control network is shared across both bilingual language production and comprehension.
- This shared network facilitates efficient processing and understanding of context-relevant meanings in bilinguals.
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