An integrative approach to bilingual cognition: preliminary insights into phonetic learning and sensorimotor adaptation
IntroductionThis study investigates the cognitive consequences of bilingualism by examining phonetic learning, speech motor adaptation, and verbal memory.MethodsEarly Spanish-English bilinguals divided into high and intermediate proficiency groups and English monolinguals completed three tasks: (1)...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2025.1549435/full |
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| Summary: | IntroductionThis study investigates the cognitive consequences of bilingualism by examining phonetic learning, speech motor adaptation, and verbal memory.MethodsEarly Spanish-English bilinguals divided into high and intermediate proficiency groups and English monolinguals completed three tasks: (1) production of an artificial English accent with novel phonotactic rules, (2) serial digit span in English, and (3) production of unfamiliar speech sounds during real-time magnetic resonance imaging (rtMRI).ResultsBilinguals, particularly those with high proficiency, outperformed monolinguals in phonetic and articulatory learning. In the memory task, no group-level differences emerged overall, but high bilinguals showed stronger primacy effects at moderate sequence lengths, suggesting more efficient encoding.DiscussionThese results support a shift toward investigating task-specific and process-based effects of language experience. We also demonstrate the feasibility of using rtMRI to assess articulatory behavior in cognitive studies of bilingualism, with minimal need for manual post-processing. |
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| ISSN: | 1662-5161 |