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Is there cross-language modulation when bilinguals process number words?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 August 2010

PEDRO MACIZO ,
AMPARO HERRERA ,
DANIELA PAOLIERI  and
PATRICIA ROMÁN
PEDRO MACIZO*
Affiliation:
University of Granada
AMPARO HERRERA
Affiliation:
University of Murcia
DANIELA PAOLIERI
Affiliation:
University of Granada and University of Trento
PATRICIA ROMÁN
Affiliation:
University of Granada
*
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE Pedro Macizo, Department of Experimental Psychology, Facultad de Psicología, University of Granada, Campus Cartuja s/n 18071, Granada 18071, Spain. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

This study explores the possibility of cross-language activation when bilinguals process number words in their first language (Italian) and their second language (German). Italian monolinguals (Experiment 1), German monolinguals (Experiment 2), and Italian/German bilinguals (Experiment 3) were required to decide the larger of two number words while the unit–decade compatibility effect was examined. For compatible trials the decade and unit comparisons lead to the same response (e.g., 24–67), whereas for incompatible trials the decade and unit comparisons lead to different responses (e.g., 27–64). The regular unit–decade compatibility effect was significant when bilinguals and monolinguals performed the comparison in German. However, this effect was not found when bilinguals and monolinguals performed the task in Italian. In addition, the decade distance played a major role when bilinguals processed in their first language, whereas the unit distance was more important when they worked in their second language. These results indicate that the processing of number words in one language is not modulated by the way bilinguals process number words in their alternative language.

Type
Articles
Information
Applied Psycholinguistics , Volume 31 , Issue 4 , October 2010 , pp. 651 - 669
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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