Visual Attention and Lexical Involvement in L1 and L2 Word Processing: Emotional Stroop Effect

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Linguistics
• Second Language Acquisition

Background:

• Text engagement involves both reader and text.
• Understanding word processing requires examining sensorimotor, emotional, and linguistic factors.
• Investigating attentional engagement in bilinguals is crucial for language learning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the role of word type in attentional engagement.
• To verify the interplay of sensorimotor information, emotions, and linguistic information in word processing.
• To assess lexical involvement and its relationship with visual attentional engagement in L1 and L2.

Main Methods:

• Validated Persian and English lexical involvement scales with 220 Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners.
• Employed Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) for scale validation.
• Utilized the Emotional Stroop task for experimental analysis.

Main Results:

• SEM confirmed the factor structure and reliability of the lexical involvement measures.
• A strong positive correlation was found between lexical involvement and visual attentional engagement in L1 (Persian).
• A conversely negative association was observed in L2 (English), indicating differing processing mechanisms.

Conclusions:

• Lexical involvement significantly influences attentional engagement differently across native and second languages.
• Word stimuli exhibit varying magnitudes of lexical involvement between L1 and L2.
• Findings highlight the complex interaction between language proficiency, emotional processing, and attention.