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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 9, 2025

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Published on: February 26, 2020

Language distance modulates cognitive control in bilinguals.

Narges Radman^1,2, Lea Jost³, Setareh Dorood⁴

¹School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM) Opposite the ARAJ, Artesh Highway, Aghdassieh, Tehran, 1956836484, Iran. radmann@ipm.ir.

Scientific Reports

|December 17, 2021

Summary

Bilinguals speaking closely related languages (CLP) exhibit better language control and cognitive processing than those speaking distant language pairs (DLP). This suggests linguistic distance impacts bilingual cognitive functions.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Linguistics

Background:

Bilingual language processing involves shared neural mechanisms influenced by factors like age of acquisition and proficiency.
Limited research exists on how linguistic distance affects language and cognitive control in bilinguals.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the influence of close versus distant language pairs (CLP vs. DLP) on language control and domain-general cognitive processes in bilinguals.
To compare behavioral and electrophysiological responses between CLP and DLP bilingual groups during language and nonlinguistic tasks.

Main Methods:

Recruited two groups of bilinguals: DLP (Persian-English) and CLP (French-English).
Subjects performed language nonswitching and switching picture-naming tasks and a nonlinguistic switching task.
Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded during task performance to analyze event-related potentials (ERPs).

Main Results:

Behaviorally, CLP bilinguals demonstrated reduced cognitive costs, indicated by faster reaction times in both linguistic and nonlinguistic switching tasks compared to DLP bilinguals.
Electrophysiological data revealed differential involvement of cognitive control regions between CLP and DLP groups during linguistic switching (450–515 ms post-stimulus).
Distinct differences were observed between groups in the nonlinguistic task from 40–150 ms post-stimulus.

Conclusions:

Bilinguals with close language pairs exhibit enhanced language control and domain-general cognitive control compared to those with distant language pairs.
Electrophysiological findings support a stronger engagement of cognitive control networks in CLP bilinguals, highlighting the role of linguistic distance in bilingual brain function.