Language Switching Based on Cognitive Interference Task and Its Teaching Implication for Consecutive Interpreting

An empirical study was addressed to explore the language switching selection based on conflict resolution task between bilinguals and monolinguals. The Double-Source interference task was designed to investigate the interaction of attentional network and bilingual＇s language conflict resolution capacity. ANOVA for repeated measurement was used to measure the main effect of different attentional networks. The response time of alerting network was significant faster than that of executive network. There was also a significant main effect of different groups of subjects that bilinguals responded faster than monolinguals when operating alerting and executive network. Language switching paradigm can be used to interpret the neuro-cognitive process of oral consecutive interpreting, so the teaching implication will be discussed in the present study.

Language-Switch of a Parity Judgment Task in Multilinguals

This study attempts to explore a possible mode of language switching process of multilinguals （Russian-English-Chinese） from the perspectives of language-switching cost based on event- related potentials （ERP）. Thirty Belarusians studying Chinese in China participated in this experiment. Behavioral results show under three-language-switching-conditions, the mean response time for switch trials is shorter than non-switch trials. Switching cost between Russian and English, Russian and Chinese is symmetric, while English and Chinese is asymmetric. ERP results indicate a negative deflection peaking around 320 ms is observed under conditions of L2-L1 and L3-L1 switching over the entire bilateral frontal sites. The study proposes a processing mode based on the idea of conflict discovery and resolution to contribute to a further understanding of language switching mechanisms.

Endogenous language control in Chinese-English switching: an event-related potentials study

The neural basis of language switching, especially endogenous language control, remains largely unclear. We used a cue-stimulus paradigm and measured behavioral indices and scalp event-related potentials to investigate the endogenous control of switching between Chinese and English. In the experiment, unbalanced Chinese （L1） - English （L2） speakers named pictures in L1 or L2 according to an auditory cue presented 700 ms （cue-stimulus interval） before the picture onset. The reaction time （RT） was longer in the switch condition and the switch cost （difference of RTs between switch and repeat conditions） of L1 （L2→L1） was greater than L2 （L1→L2）. P2 component elicited by the cue onset showed the neural switch cost of L1 at the frontocentral regions, with a leftward distribution, but not the switch cost of L2. The greater switch cost of L1 in behavioral responses and neural activity suggests that the frontocentral areas play an important role in endogenous language control, and switching back to the native language might require more endogenous control.