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Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task
Published on: February 26, 2020
Task-switching abilities in bilinguals: The importance of language dominance and acculturation
Alexander M Eisenstein1, David A S Kaufman2, Xavier E Cagigas3
1Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Objective:
The present study examined group differences between monolingual English and bilingual English/Spanish speakers in task switching. Additionally, relationships between English language dominance and time since immigration were explored within bilingual immigrants.
Method:
In this cross-sectional, correlational study, task switching was measured via a computerized paradigm in a large community sample of adults. In the bilingual sample, the degree of English language dominance (measured as a ratio of English to Spanish phonemic verbal fluency scores) was hypothesized to correlate with switch cost. Exploratory analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between immigration history, English language dominance, and switching cost within a subsample of bilingual immigrants.
Results:
There were no group differences between monolingual and bilingual participants in switch cost. Among all bilinguals, greater English dominance predicted less switch cost (b = -.20, p = .01). Among non-U.S. born bilinguals, greater time since immigrating to the United States and greater English dominance predicted less switch cost (that is, more efficient switching; b = -0.37, p = .025).
Conclusions:
These findings suggest that the effects of bilingualism on executive control, specifically task switching, may be impacted by factors related to acculturation rather than bilingualism alone, which may partially explain the variability seen in prior studies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
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