Julia Klepko
Research Mentor(s): Jonathan Brennan
Mentor Department: Linguistics
Authors: Julia Klepko, James Baybas, Jonathan Brennan
Session: Session 3 (11:00am – 11:50am)
Presentation Type: Poster 81
Abstract
Code-switching, or the act of seamlessly switching between two different languages during conversation, occurs naturally when two people on both ends of the conversation have proficiency in the same two languages. Despite previous studies having investigated differences in cognitive processing for one language (Agmon et al., 2023), not much research has been done involving subject engagement in conversation between first language (L1) and second language (L2), where speakers code-switch with one another. Within this study, subjects with Mandarin and English fluency had an EEG scan completed during a free-flowing multi-topic conversation involving code switching with a Mandarin-English bilingual research assistant (RA). Afterwards, RA speech data was split into speech envelopes, with reaction scores being correlated using temporal response functions (TRFs). This, correlated with the participant’s levels of language proficiency, can display possible differences in patterns of processing when switching from the dominant language in the conversation, Mandarin, to English. Data collection and analysis is still ongoing. If there is a difference in the processing of code-switches relative to the speech envelope of the Research Assistant, this project can help provide resources to both answer and pose future questions involving the differences (or lack thereof) in processing of L1 vs L2 correlated with language proficiency.
