An ERP Study On Language Switching In High School Students With Different Cognitive Flexibility

The comprehension of Chinese-English language switching is the key factor to learning English. Language switching is degined as using a language to another language, the resource consumption during switching is language switching cost. Language switching shows the different understanding and application of Chinese and English.This study used Wisconsin Card Sorting Test(WCST) to screened 34 high school students(16 high cognitive flexibility and 18 low cognitive flexibility). A 2(high cognitive flexibility and low cognitive flexibility)*2(Chinese and English)*2(repetition and switch) mixed design was employed. Then adopt Event-Related Potential and go/no-go semantic categorization task to examine the mechanism of language switching during experiment 1 focused on different prime duration(50 vs.100ms) and experiment 2 focused on different prime presentation(auditory vs. visual). Finally, the conclusions as follows:First, the reaction time and switching cost of high cognitive flexibility was significantly shorter than that of low cognitive flexibility. And the switching cost in high cognitive flexibility students was symmetrical, whereas that in low cognitive flexibility students was not;Second, the mean amplitude of N2 was greater negative in high cognitive flexibility students than in low cognitive flexibility students, which supports the inhibitory control(IC) theory;Third, in a different prime duration, the switching cost of 50 ms prime was lower than 100 ms prime;Forth, in 50 ms prime condition, there is no significant difference on the mean amplitude of N2; in 100 ms prime condition, the mean amplitude of N2 was greater negative in high cognitive flexibility students than in low cognitive flexibility students;Fifth, in a different prime presentation, the switching cost of auditory prime was lower than visual prime, and the mean amplitude of N2 in auditory prime was less negative than visual prime, which reflects the auditory promoted the language switching;Sixth, in auditory prime condition, the mean amplitude of N2 with L1-L1 and L1-L2 in high cognitive flexibility students was more negative than low cognitive flexibility students;Seventh, there is no significant difference on thinking fatigue between high and low cognitive flexibility students. The degree of L2-L1 thinking fatigue was significant higher than that of L1-L1 thinking fatigue; the degree of L2-L2 thinking fatigue was significant higher than that of L1-L2 thinking fatigue;Eighth, in visual prime condition, the mean amplitude of N2 in high thinking fatigue was more negative than low thinking fatigue; in auditory prime condition, there is no significant difference on the mean amplitude of N2 between high and low thinking fatigue.