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ERP priming studies of bilingual language processing

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 January 2018

SINA BOSCH  and
ALINA LEMINEN
SINA BOSCH*
Affiliation:
Potsdam Research Institute for Multilingualism, University of Potsdam
ALINA LEMINEN
Affiliation:
Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki
*
Address of correspondence: Sina Bosch, Potsdam Research Institute for Multilingualism, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24–25, 14476 Potsdam, Germanybosch@uni-potsdam.de
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Abstract

The aim of this review is to provide a selective overview of priming studies which have employed the event-related brain potential (ERP) technique in order to investigate bilingual language processing. The priming technique can reveal an implicit memory effect in which exposure to one stimulus influences the processing of another stimulus. Behavioral approaches, such as measuring reaction times, may not always be enough for providing a full view on the exact mechanisms and the time-course of language comprehension. Instead, ERPs have a time-resolution of a millisecond and hence they offer a precise temporal overview of the underlying neural processes involved in language processing. In our review, we summarize experimental research that has combined priming with ERP measurements, thus creating a valuable tool for examining the neurophysiological correlates of language processing in the bilingual brain.

Keywords

event-related brain potentialsprimingbilinguals
Type
Review Article
Information
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition , Volume 21 , Issue 3 , May 2018 , pp. 462 - 470
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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Footnotes

*Our work in this article has been supported by an Alexander-von-Humboldt Professorship to Harald Clahsen. We thank the BLC Editors and reviewers as well as the members of the Potsdam Research Institute for Multilingualism for their thoughtful and constructive comments on earlier versions of our manuscript.

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