Lab 9.1- Bilingualism

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers key concepts in bilingual research, including acquisition timing, proficiency measures, language entropy, priming paradigms, and the impact of code-switching.

Age of acquisition (AoA)

The timing of language exposure to a second language ($L2$).

Proficiency

The ability to apply language knowledge for the purposes of comprehension and production.

Language Entropy

A measure of diversity and uncertainty in language exposure; a score of $0$ reflects low diversity and high certainty, while a score of $1$ reflects high diversity and high uncertainty.

Active bilinguals

Individuals who continue to use both their first ($L1$) and second ($L2$) languages.

Inactive bilinguals

Individuals who have largely stopped using one of their two languages.

Quasi-experiments

A categorization for all bilingual studies because random assignment of participants to language groups is not possible.

Simultaneous bilinguals

Individuals who learn their $L1$ and $L2$ at the same time.

Sequential bilinguals

Individuals who learn their $L1$ first and then start learning their $L2$ at some point later in life.

Early L2 Learners

Bilinguals who learned Spanish first but then learned English before age $7$, who show a shared semantic/conceptual level for both languages.

Late high proficient

Bilinguals who attain high proficiency in English after age $7$, typically showing a shared lexical level between languages.

Late low proficient

Bilinguals who attain low proficiency in English after age $7$.

Priming

The facilitation of a response because of a previous experience, such as the prior presentation of a word speeding the reading of the same word later.

Semantic priming

A condition where an earlier context makes related words more accessible in the internal lexicon, such as the word "NURSE" speeding the response to "DOCTOR."

Mediated Form primes

A priming condition where the prime's translation relates to the target, such as the prime "bull" (which is "toro" in Spanish) facilitating the target "TORNILLO."

Form primes

A priming condition based on physical/orthographic similarity, such as the prime "torture" for the target "TORNILLO."

Code-switching

The alternation between languages, which can help precisely express meaning or circumvent lexical gaps.

Cognitive Attributes

Individual differences, such as working memory capacity, that influence language performance and how people experience bilingualism.