Behavioral evidence for differences in emotional resonance during processing first and second language

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: Currently available data show mixed results as to whether emotional resonance is stronger for words expressed in the mother tongue (L1) compared to a second language, acquired later in life (L2). One reason for these discrepancies could be differential effects of individuals’ L2 learning history. We introduce an experimental paradigm that is sufficiently robust for testing outside the laboratory to reach a more diverse population. We illustrate this paradigm using 24 well-characterized Russian (L1)–German (L2) bilingual migrants. Design/methodology/approach: The paradigm consists of displaying an array of random letters that may contain a word, which participants must identify. Stimuli are displayed until response and the proportion of correct identification is used as dependent measure. Performance for neutral words is contrasted to swear or taboo words. Data and analysis: The interplay between language and word type is assessed with a 2 × 2 within subjects ANOVA. Findings/conclusions: At the group level, a swear or taboo word superiority in L1 and its absence in L2 is observed. At the individual level, however, the data show a clear divide depending on the age of arrival at the L2 country. Participants who arrived after mid-adolescence show a clear language effect. By contrast, individuals who arrived earlier, present a swear or taboo word superiority in either L1, L2, or in both languages. The age of arrival should therefore be regarded as a critical variable and averaging over bilinguals with different ages of arrival can distort the results depending on the relative size of the respective groups. Originality: The representativeness of test subjects is constrained by the availability of participants at the testing site. Testing outside the laboratory, at home or online, allows reaching larger and/or target populations. Significance/implications: By removing constraints on the availability of bilingual participants, our paradigm enables refined insights into how emotion shapes language processing.
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