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Related Experiment Video

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Are All Code-Switches Processed Alike? Examining Semantic v. Language Unexpectancy.

Jorge R Valdés Kroff1, Patricia Román2, Paola E Dussias3

  • 1Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.

Frontiers in Psychology
|October 5, 2020
PubMed
Summary

This study on bilinguals found that semantic expectancy affects the N400 brainwave, while language switching impacts the late positivity component (LPC). Prior code-switching experience also influences early brain responses.

Keywords:
N400bilingual (Spanish/English)code-switchingevent-related potentialslate positive complexsemantic processing

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Area of Science:

  • Psycholinguistics
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Bilingualism Research

Background:

  • Event-related potential (ERP) studies differentiate N400 effects (semantic unexpectedness) from late positivity components (LPC) (code-switching integration/reanalysis).
  • The precise cognitive mechanisms underlying the LPC in code-switching contexts remain debated, with interpretations including processing improbable events or sentence-level reanalysis.
  • Understanding the distinct processing costs associated with semantic versus linguistic unexpectancies is crucial for bilingual language processing models.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relative processing costs of semantic expectancy and language-based unexpectancies (code-switches) during sentence comprehension in bilinguals.
  • To examine the electrophysiological correlates (N400 and LPC) associated with semantic and code-switching variations in Spanish-English bilinguals.
  • To explore the moderating role of prior code-switching experience on the neural processing of code-switches.

Main Methods:

  • An event-related potential (ERP) reading study was conducted with 24 Spanish-English bilingual participants.
  • Participants processed Spanish sentences that varied in semantic expectancy (high vs. low) and language continuation (same-language vs. Spanish-to-English code-switch).
  • Electrophysiological responses were recorded, and analyses focused on N400 and LPC time windows, incorporating self-reported code-switching experience.

Main Results:

  • A significant main effect of semantic expectancy was observed in the N400 time window, consistent with lexico-semantic processing.
  • A significant main effect of code-switching was found in the LPC time window, indicating distinct processing for language integration.
  • Increased prior code-switching experience correlated with an earlier positivity effect, suggesting experience modulates early integration costs.

Conclusions:

  • Semantic expectancy and language switching elicit distinct neural signatures (N400 and LPC, respectively) during online sentence processing.
  • The integration cost of code-switching is not uniform and is significantly modulated by the bilingual individual's experience with code-switching.
  • These findings contribute to a nuanced understanding of bilingual language control and the cognitive mechanisms underlying code-switching.