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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 29, 2025

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Published on: February 26, 2020

On the Connection Between Language Control and Executive Control-An ERP Study.

Mathieu Declerck^1,2,3, Gabriela Meade⁴, Katherine J Midgley⁵

¹School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, USA.

Neurobiology of Language (Cambridge, Mass.)

|May 22, 2023

Summary

This study found that language control and executive control share similar brain activity patterns. This suggests that language control processes are domain-general, meaning they are not specific to language alone.

Keywords:

ERPs executive control language control language switching task switching

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Psycholinguistics
Neuroscience

Background:

Models of language control differ on whether control processes are domain-general or domain-specific.
Domain-general models propose an overlap between language control and executive control at the goal level.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if language control is domain-general by comparing language-switch costs with executive task-switch costs.
To directly compare control processes at the goal and task performance levels using event-related potentials (ERPs).

Main Methods:

Conducted the first event-related potential (ERP) study comparing language-switch costs and executive task-switch costs.
Employed identical switching methodologies, differing only in switching between languages (English/Spanish) versus tasks (color/category naming).
Analyzed cue-locked and picture-locked ERPs to assess control processes at goal and performance levels.

Main Results:

No significant differences were found in switch-related cue-locked and picture-locked ERP patterns between language switching and task switching paradigms.
ERP patterns indicated shared neural mechanisms underlying both language control and executive control.

Conclusions:

The findings support models positing domain-general language control.
Language control processes appear to be integrated with broader executive control mechanisms, rather than being isolated to language functions.