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Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2025

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effect of Induced Emotion on Grammar Learning
Published on: January 29, 2020
Native and non-native language contexts differently modulate mood-driven electrodermal activity.
Marcin Naranowicz1, Katarzyna Jankowiak2, Maciej Behnke3
1Faculty of English, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Grunwaldzka 6, 60-780, Poznań, Poland. marcin.naranowicz@amu.edu.pl.
Bilinguals show reduced physiological sensitivity to mood changes in their second language (L2) compared to their native language (L1). This suggests that processing the L2 requires more cognitive effort, impacting emotional responses.
Area of Science:
- Psycholinguistics
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Affective Science
Background:
- Bilinguals often exhibit reduced emotional sensitivity to their non-native (L2) language compared to their native (L1) language.
- The physiological underpinnings of how L1 and L2 contexts influence bilinguals' affective states, such as mood, remain underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the physiological differences in mood sensitivity between native (L1) and non-native (L2) language contexts in bilingual individuals.
- To determine if cognitive load associated with L2 processing affects emotional reactivity.
Main Methods:
- Polish-English bilinguals were induced into L1 or L2 mode by reading corresponding sentences.
- Participants watched positive and negative mood-inducing films while electrodermal activity (skin conductance responses and amplitudes) was measured.
Main Results:
- A greater number of skin conductance responses were observed in the negative mood condition within the L1 context only, indicating reduced sensitivity to negative mood changes in L2.
- Skin conductance amplitudes were generally higher in the L2 context compared to the L1 context.
- These results suggest decreased physiological sensitivity to mood shifts in the L2 relative to the L1 mode.
Conclusions:
- Bilinguals demonstrate decreased physiological sensitivity to mood changes in their L2, likely due to the increased cognitive engagement required for L2 processing.
- The findings highlight the interplay between language mode, cognitive load, and emotional regulation in bilinguals.

