Psychological Development and Education ›› 2016, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (1): 26-32.doi: 10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2016.01.04

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The Familiarity Influence on the Activation of Non-Target Language in Language Comprehension of Unskilled Chinese-English Bilinguals

ANG Chen1,2, LV Huan3, ZHOU Yacong1, LI Bowen1, WANG Ruiming1   

  1. 1. Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631;
    2. State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875;
    3. Foshan University, Foshan 528000
  • Online:2016-01-15 Published:2016-01-15

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Abstract: One question about language switching is the activation of one language when using the other language. This study was designed to investigate the familiarity influence on the activation of non-target language in language comprehension with innovative paradigm. Each experiment consisted of a study block and a test block. In the study block, Chinese and English words presented one at a time randomly, and bilingual participants were instructed to make a concept decision only to target language while ignoring non-target language of different familiarity. Study status (studied vs. unstudied) was manipulated in the test block. The same-language repetition priming was used in experiment 1a and 1b, which non-target language words presented in the study block were repeated in the test block. The cross-language repetition priming condition was used in experiment 2a and 2b, which non-target language words were presented in the study block and their translation equivalents were presented in the test block. The response time and accurate rates were recorded. In experiment 1a and 1b, we found cross-language repetition priming effect, non-target words were activated automatically. In experiment 2a, we found that when non-target words were English, the familiar words were activated on concept level, while the unfamiliar words were not activated on concept level. In experiment 2b, when non-target words were Chinese, words of both familiarity levels were activated. The results revealed that in language comprehension, non-target language can be activated automatically, the level of activation is influenced by words familiarity.

Key words: familiarity, non-target language, bilinguals, language comprehension, activation

CLC Number: 

  • B844

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