Inhibitory processes in language switching: Evidence from switching language-defined response sets

Abstract

We used language-defined response sets (digit names from 1 to 9 in different languages) to explore inhibitory processes in language switching. Subjects were required to switch between two (Experiment 1) or among three (Experiment 2) languages. In Experiment 1, we obtained a shift cost when subjects switched between their first and second language, between their first and third language, or between their second and third language. For each language pairing, the shift cost was larger for the relatively dominant language than for the nondominant language (i.e., asymmetric shift cost). In Experiment 2, we assessed inhibition of response sets as reflected in n-2 repetition cost (i.e., the difference between ABA and CBA language sequences). We discuss both effects with respect to inhibitory processes in language switching. The results suggest different functional characteristics of the processes underlying asymmetric shift cost and n-2 repetition cost.

Acknowledgments

Please note that the first and the last author have moved to the Institute of Psychology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany. The first two authors contributed equally to this work. We would like to thank Silvija Mikerevic, Simone Hengmith, and Kerstin Träger for conducting parts of the experiments. We would also like to thank Sander Los, Petroc Sumner, and an anonymous reviewer for comments on a previous version of this paper.

Notes

¹On the level of individual subjects, we cannot use the pure block RTs as a measure of L1, L2, and L3 proficiency because unspecific practice effects were relatively large at the beginning of the experiment and the order of pure blocks was manipulated between subjects.