Article

Perceptual shift in bilingualism: brain potentials reveal plasticity in pre-attentive colour perception

Details

Citation

Athanasopoulos P, Dering B, Wiggett A, Kuipers JR & Thierry G (2010) Perceptual shift in bilingualism: brain potentials reveal plasticity in pre-attentive colour perception. Cognition, 116 (3), pp. 437-443. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2010.05.016

Abstract
The validity of the linguistic relativity principle continues to stimulate vigorous debate and research. The debate has recently shifted from the behavioural investigation arena to a more biologically grounded field, in which tangible physiological evidence for language effects on perception can be obtained. Using brain potentials in a colour oddball detection task with Greek and English speakers, a recent study suggests that language effects may exist at early stages of perceptual integration [Thierry, G., Athanasopoulos, P., Wiggett, A., Dering, B., & Kuipers, J. (2009). Unconscious effects of language-specific terminology on pre-attentive colour perception. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106, 4567-4570]. In this paper, we test whether in Greek speakers exposure to a new cultural environment (UK) with contrasting colour terminology from their native language affects early perceptual processing as indexed by an electrophysiological correlate of visual detection of colour luminance. We also report semantic mapping of native colour terms and colour similarity judgements. Results reveal convergence of linguistic descriptions, cognitive processing, and early perception of colour in bilinguals. This result demonstrates for the first time substantial plasticity in early, pre-attentive colour perception and has important implications for the mechanisms that are involved in perceptual changes during the processes of language learning and acculturation.

Keywords
Colour perception; Cultural relativity; Electrophysiology; Visual Mismatch Negativity; Bilingualism

Journal
Cognition: Volume 116, Issue 3

StatusPublished
Publication date30/09/2010
URLhttp://hdl.handle.net/1893/11497
PublisherElsevier
ISSN0010-0277

People (2)

Dr Benjamin Dering

Dr Benjamin Dering

Lecturer, Psychology

Dr Jan Rouke Kuipers

Dr Jan Rouke Kuipers

Lecturer in Psychology, Psychology