Perceptual shift in bilingualism : Brain potentials reveal plasticity in pre-attentive colour perception
(2010) In Cognition 116(3). p.437-443- 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... (More)
- 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. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/300e19f2-0010-4708-b02b-1bd35d476f89
- author
- Athanasopoulos, Panos LU ; Dering, Benjamin ; Wiggett, Alison ; Kuipers, Jan-Rouke and Thierry, Guillaume
- publishing date
- 2010
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Colour perception, Cultural relativity, Electrophysiology, Visual Mismatch Negativity, Bilingualism
- in
- Cognition
- volume
- 116
- issue
- 3
- pages
- 7 pages
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:77955175120
- ISSN
- 0010-0277
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.cognition.2010.05.016
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- 300e19f2-0010-4708-b02b-1bd35d476f89
- date added to LUP
- 2024-09-19 11:08:56
- date last changed
- 2025-04-04 14:40:03
@article{300e19f2-0010-4708-b02b-1bd35d476f89,
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.}},
author = {{Athanasopoulos, Panos and Dering, Benjamin and Wiggett, Alison and Kuipers, Jan-Rouke and Thierry, Guillaume}},
issn = {{0010-0277}},
keywords = {{Colour perception; Cultural relativity; Electrophysiology; Visual Mismatch Negativity; Bilingualism}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{3}},
pages = {{437--443}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Cognition}},
title = {{Perceptual shift in bilingualism : Brain potentials reveal plasticity in pre-attentive colour perception}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2010.05.016}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.cognition.2010.05.016}},
volume = {{116}},
year = {{2010}},
}