1. A cognitive perspective on cross language influence
Anat Prior
University of Haifa

2. Anat Prior University of Haifa
Actually…
A journey from Language to Cognition and back (and forth)
Anat Prior
University of Haifa

3. Language Cognition Linguistic relativity
Issue of language and cognition are very difficult to separate within the dwindling minority of monolingual language users…
General purpose learning mechanisms – Competition model

4. First Language (L1)
Cognition
Second Language (L2)

5. Cognition : Executive Functions
Miyake & Friedman, 2012

6. Language/Cognition interactions in bilinguals
Are there cognitive differences between monolinguals and bilinguals?
Are there similarities between language control and cognitive control?
Is domain general cognitive control recruited to manage cross-language interference?
Can bilinguals rely on extra-linguistic (perceptual) cues to facilitate language control?

7. Who do we study? Aim for diverse bilingual populations
Context
Language similarity
Where can we find monolinguals? Are they REALLY monolingual?
Transition to within-bilingual investigations

8. And how? Group comparisons vs. Individual differences
Influence from one domain to the other?
Interaction between domains?

9. Why is this difficult?
Variability within and across bilingual populations
Relatively low reliability/validity of EF measures
Reduced variability in young adult populations

10. Study 1: A bilingual advantage in task switching
Rationale: Does experience in language control confer advantages in executive control?
Group comparison of monolinguals to (varied) bilinguals
Influence from language to EF
Study 1: Prior & MacWhinney, 2010

11. Study 1: Prior & MacWhinney, 2010
Task Switching
Shape Cue
Circle
Triangle
Color Cue
Green
Red
Study 1: Prior & MacWhinney, 2010 11

12. Task Switching Single task blocks (only color) Mixed blocks
Repeat trial (color after color)
Switch trial (color after shape)
Mixing cost
Switch cost

13. A bilingual advantage in task switching
Study 1: Prior & MacWhinney, 2010

14. Study 1: A bilingual advantage in task switching
Lifelong management of cross-language competition and switching might lead to advantages in cognitive flexibility
Study 1: Prior & MacWhinney, 2010

15. Study 2a: A bilingual advantage in task switching?
Rationale: Does the type of experience in language control (switching) matter for advantages in executive control?
Group comparison of monolinguals to two groups of bilinguals (Spanish- English, Mandarin-English)
Influence from language to EF
Study 2a: Prior & Gollan, 2011

16. Study 2a: A bilingual advantage in task switching?
Study 2a: Prior & Gollan, 2011

17. Study 2a: A bilingual advantage in task switching?
An advantage found for Spanish-English but not for Mandarin-English bilinguals
Possible explanation: Spanish-English bilinguals report switching languages more often in daily life, perhaps gain more practice
Influence from language to EF
Study 2a: Prior & Gollan, 2011

18. Study 2b: Is task switching similar to language switching?
Study included a language switching task
A group comparison investigating cross- domain similarities
Commonalities across language and EF
Study 2b: Prior & Gollan, 2011

19. Study 2b: Is task switching similar to language switching?
Study 2b: Prior & Gollan, 2011

20. So far….
Group comparison designs show an advantage in cognitive flexibility, for some bilinguals
At the group level, bilinguals who switch languages more efficiently are also better at non-linguistic switching
Study 1+2

21. Study 3: Are costs correlated across domains?
Rationale: if there is a shared mechanism for cognitive and language control, they should be associated
An individual differences perspective: Is individual switching performance correlated across domains?
Investigating commonalities across domains
Study 3: Prior & Gollan, 2013

22. Study 3: Are costs correlated across domains?
Three bilingual populations (Spanish- English, Mandarin-English, Hebrew- English) and monolingual controls
Language switching and task switching paradigms
Study 3: Prior & Gollan, 2013

23. Study 3: Are costs correlated?
Switch Cost – No!
Study 3: Prior & Gollan, 2013

24. Study 3: Are costs correlated?
Mixing Cost – Yes!
Study 3: Prior & Gollan, 2013

25. Pause…
Group comparisons show similarity in switch (but not mixing) costs across language and non-linguistic switching
Individual differences study finds correlation for mixing (but not switching) costs
Debate on bilingual advantages becoming heated and contentious; claims of publication bias and rebuttal (Bialystok, Kroll, Green, MacWhinney & Craik, 2015).

26. First Language (L1)
Cognition
Second Language (L2)

27. A new approach
Is domain general inhibitory control recruited to manage cross-language interference?
Individual differences approach
Study 4: Prior et al., 2017

28. Syntactic Interference
Native Hebrew
Native Hebrew
Syntactic Interference
Lexical Interference
68 Arabic-Hebrew
Bilinguals
EF:
Inhibition
Shifting
Study 4: Prior et al., 2017

29. Lexical Interference, accuracy
Study 4: Prior et al., 2017

30. Syntactic Interference – D’ of grammaticality judgment
Conflict
Control
Study 4: Prior et al., 2017

31. Cross domain correlations?
Syntactic Interference
Lexical Interference X X X
Replicated with auditory task (Khatib, 2017)
EF:
Inhibition
Shifting
Study 4: Prior et al., 2017

32. Language/Cognition interaction?
Susceptibility to interference not correlated across language domains
Domain general EF do not predict individual sensitivity to cross language interference
Still working to figure out best measure of CLI and of EFs
Current projects under way!
Study 4: Prior et al., 2017

33. First Language (L1)
Perceptual Cues
Second Language (L2)

34. Can perceptual cues support language control?
Comparing Spanish-English and Hebrew-English bilinguals
Reading aloud paragraphs with language switches: Induce intrusion errors, namely failures to switch
Study 5: Fadlon et al., 2019

35. Throughout the Land of the Pig River, el name Mrs
Throughout the Land of the Pig River, el name Mrs. Peace was very well conocido by everyone
It wasn’t so much בגלל the gossip that traveled from village to village, but due to the סיפורים that circulated declaring her הרפתקאות and mischief.
Study 5: Fadlon et al., 2019

36. Study 5: Fadlon et al., 2019

37. Perceptual cues support language control
Language intrinsic cues, such as orthography and writing direction, can facilitate control
Bilinguals can also adaptively and flexibly use arbitrary cues such as color
Study 5: Fadlon et al., 2019

38. Cross domain influences and commonalities
Some (at times messy and contradictory) support for commonalities across language and cognitive control
BUT current meta-analysis (Lehtonen et al., 2018) does not support an advantage

39. Cross domain influences and commonalities
Going forward?
Move away from group comparisons (monolinguals)
Target variable bilingual groups
Compare language and cognitive control WITHIN bilingual speakers

40. Recruiting cognition to manage language control and interference
Language control as opportunistic and flexible
Cross language influences as a critical area of investigation
Going forward:
Investigate transfer in different domains
Keep grappling with cognitive constructs / measures
Wide proficiency range

41. First Language (L1)
Cognition
Second Language (L2)

42. Thank you! Questions?
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