Bilingualism
How does second language age affect brain effort in noise?
Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC
Bilinguals who learned their second language later in life show signs of brain exhaustion, rather than increased effort, when trying to understand that language in noisy environments.
Key findings
The study found that alpha power was higher when listening to a second language compared to a first language, and in noise compared to quiet, reflecting greater cognitive effort. However, for bilinguals who learned their second language later in life, alpha power actually decreased in the hardest condition of processing their second language in noise compared to quiet. The authors suggest this drop in alpha power indicates cognitive resource exhaustion rather than a lack of effort.
Methodology
The researchers tested 49 English/French bilinguals who had different ages of acquiring their second language but similar overall proficiency. Participants performed a speech perception task where they listened to 240 sentences that varied by language, background noise, and semantic constraint. During the task, the researchers measured participants' brainwaves using a 64-electrode electroencephalogram to track alpha power from 7.5 to 12 Hz as an indicator of mental effort and attention.
Limitations
First, because the sample consisted of highly proficient bilinguals living in a bilingual city, these findings might not apply to individuals with lower second-language proficiency or those in monolingual communities. Second, the study's correlational nature regarding age of acquisition means we cannot prove that the age of learning caused these neural differences, as other unmeasured lifelong learning patterns could play a role. Finally, the research did not pinpoint the exact brain regions producing these alpha wave changes, limiting our understanding of the specific neural circuits involved.
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