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Priming and Online Multiple Language Activation

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Methods in Bilingual Reading Comprehension Research

Part of the book series: The Bilingual Mind and Brain Book Series ((BMBBS,volume 1))

Abstract

This chapter discusses cross-language activation in the course of processing language by bilingual speakers. We first discuss the cross-modal lexical priming paradigm (CMLP), a powerful tool to explore online multiple language activation. We next provide an overview of research concerning multiple language activation in the course of bilingual lexical processing. Finally, we present results of four experiments examining the effects of context in connected speech on cross-language priming in Spanish-English bilinguals. Participants in Experiment 1 listened to sentences in Spanish, their first language, and named Spanish and English targets, related or unrelated to a critical prime within the sentence. Experiment 2 was similar to Experiment 1, except that prior context was biased toward the critical prime. Experiments 3–4 were identical to Experiments 1–2, respectively, but with sentences in English, their second language. Comparable cross-language priming was observed for Experiments 1–2. Likewise, Experiments 3–4 showed similar priming patterns. However, the priming effect was significantly higher for the L2–L1 language direction. Results are discussed in terms of language dominance mechanisms and the Revised Hierarchical Model of bilingual memory representation.

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Acknowledgements

The second author is grateful to the late Elizabeth Bates and David Swinney for their advice, support, and inspiration as postdoctoral advisors, at the Center for Research in Language, and the Center for Information Processing at the University of California, San Diego. We also acknowledge the Center for Research in Language for invaluable assistance with data collection in Experiment 2. Experiment 2 was supported by National Science Foundation, Grant SBR-9520489.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology and Communication, Texas A&M International University, 5201 University Boulevard, Laredo, TX, 78041-1900, USA

    Anna B. Cieślicka Ph.D. & Roberto R. Heredia Ph.D.

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  1. Anna B. Cieślicka Ph.D.
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  2. Roberto R. Heredia Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Anna B. Cieślicka Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Texas A&M International University, Dept. of Psychology and Communication, Laredo, Texas, USA

    Roberto R. Heredia

  2. University at Albany, State University of New York, Department of Psychology, Albany, New York, USA

    Jeanette Altarriba

  3. Texas A&M International University, Dept. of Psychology and Communication, Laredo, Texas, USA

    Anna B. Cieślicka

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Cieślicka, A.B., Heredia, R.R. (2016). Priming and Online Multiple Language Activation. In: Heredia, R., Altarriba, J., Cieślicka, A. (eds) Methods in Bilingual Reading Comprehension Research. The Bilingual Mind and Brain Book Series, vol 1. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2993-1_6

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