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Bilingualism, Executive Function, and Beyond: Questions and insights
Edited by Irina A. Sekerina, Lauren Spradlin and Virginia Valian
[Studies in Bilingualism 57] 2019
► pp. 161–180

Chapter 11
Effects of dense code-switching on executive control

| University of Reading
| University of Konstanz | University of Reading
| University of Reading

Bilingualism is reported to re-structure executive control networks, but it remains unknown which aspects of the bilingual experience cause this modulation. This study explores the impact of three code-switching types on executive functions: (1) alternation, (2) insertion, and (3) dense code-switching or congruent lexicalization. Current models hypothesize that different code-switching types challenge different aspects of the executive system because they vary in the extent and scope of language separation. Two groups of German-English bilinguals differing in dense code-switching frequency participated in a flanker task under conditions varying in degree of trial-mixing and resulting demands to conflict monitoring. Bilinguals engaging in more dense code-switching showed inhibitory advantages in the condition requiring most conflict monitoring. Moreover, dense code-switching frequency correlated positively with monitoring skills. This suggests that dense code-switching is a key experience shaping bilinguals’ executive functioning and highlights the importance of controlling for participants’ code-switching habits in bilingualism research.

Keywords: code-switching, executive functions, flanker task
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Code-switching and its impact on executive function
  • 3.The present study
  • 4.Method
    • 4.1Participants
    • 4.2Tasks
      • 4.2.1Frequency Judgment task
      • 4.2.2Flanker task
  • 5.Results
    • 5.1Frequency judgment task
    • 5.2EC task performance in the flanker task by group
      • 5.2.1Group comparison for monitoring cost
      • 5.2.2Group comparison for the conflict effect
    • 5.3Correlations between code-switching and EC performance
      • 5.3.1Correlation between code-switching and conflict effect
      • 5.3.2Correlation between code-switching and monitoring cost
  • 6.Discussion
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
Published online: 12 June 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/sibil.57.11hof
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