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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 23, 2025

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task

Published on: February 26, 2020

Fast and slow language processing: A window into dual-process models of cognition.

Fernanda Ferreira¹, Falk Huettig²

¹Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA fferreira@ucdavis.edu; https://ferreiralab.faculty.ucdavis.edu/.

The Behavioral and Brain Sciences

|July 18, 2023

Summary

Dual-process models of cognition can be improved by studying language processing, which also uses fast and slow thinking. Linguistic interpretation aligns with criticisms of dual-process theories, suggesting shared cognitive mechanisms.

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Last Updated: Jul 23, 2025

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Psycholinguistics
Computational Linguistics

Background:

Dual-process theories propose cognition involves fast, intuitive (System 1) and slow, deliberate (System 2) thinking.
De Neys' criticisms question the strict separation and switching mechanisms in dual-process models.
Language comprehension inherently involves rapid interpretation and potential slower revision processes.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore how language processing research can inform dual-process models of cognition.
To examine the consistency between De Neys' criticisms and linguistic interpretation literature.
To propose a more integrated view of cognitive processes in reasoning and language.

Main Methods:

Conceptual analysis integrating findings from dual-process research and psycholinguistics.
Literature review of studies on linguistic interpretation, construction, and revision.
Theoretical comparison of De Neys' criticisms with language processing mechanisms.

Main Results:

Language comprehension exhibits fast and slow processing stages, mirroring dual-process models.
The dynamic construction and revision of linguistic interpretations align with critiques of strict exclusivity and fast-to-slow switching.
Evidence suggests overlapping cognitive processes underlie both reasoning and language.

Conclusions:

Dual-process models of cognition should incorporate insights from language processing for a more comprehensive understanding.
The study of linguistic interpretation provides valuable empirical support for refining dual-process theories.
Cognitive mechanisms for reasoning and language may not be entirely distinct but rather interconnected.