Bilingualism
Does being better in a second language help you monitor mistakes?
Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC
Bilinguals who were more proficient in their second language slowed down more after conflicts and errors, suggesting better self-monitoring, but they were not clearly better at stopping an action.
Study at a glance
- Design
- Cross-sectional — Quasi-experimental group comparison (high vs low English proficiency, grouped by school medium) on a visually guided (Exp 1) and memory guided (Exp 2) saccadic redirect task with eye tracking.
- N
- Two separate samples: 47 bilinguals in Experiment 1 (22 high, 25 low proficiency) and 38 in Experiment 2 (18 high, 20 low).
- Population
- Hindi-English bilingual university students in Allahabad, India, matched on non-verbal IQ and SES
- Outcome
- Post-conflict and post-error saccade slowing (performance monitoring); non-canceled saccades and target-switch reaction time (response inhibition)
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Key findings
In both experiments the high-proficiency group showed more slowing on trials after a stop-and-redirect trial, and proficiency correlated positively with post-conflict and post-error slowing, which the authors read as stronger performance monitoring. The time needed to cancel an eye movement did not differ between groups in either experiment. The low-proficiency group made more failed cancellations in Experiment 1, but this group difference disappeared with the memory-guided task in Experiment 2, suggesting it reflected reflexive glances rather than weaker inhibition.
Methodology
Hindi-English bilingual students were split into high and low English proficiency groups based on whether they attended English- or Hindi-medium schools, with proficiency confirmed by questionnaires, reading tests and a vocabulary test. While an eye tracker recorded their gaze, they looked at a red target but, on some trials, had to cancel that eye movement and look at a second green target instead. Experiment 1 (47 people) used visible targets; Experiment 2 (38 new people) required eye movements to a remembered location, which removes reflexive glances.
Limitations
Proficiency groups were not randomly assigned: school type may carry differences in social background, education or language switching habits beyond English skill, even though IQ and self-reported SES were matched. Samples were small and there was no monolingual group, so the study compares degrees of bilingualism rather than bilinguals versus monolinguals. Interpreting slower responses as better monitoring is an inference, and working memory was not controlled, which the authors flag.
How this study connects
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