Bilingualism shapes neural control: Distinct experiences predict conflict monitoring and sustained attentional control

Abstract

The present study used event-related potentials to examine how bilingual experiences shape neural responses to contextual cues and conflict resolution. Fifty bilingual undergraduates completed a context-specific proportion congruency (CSPC) Stroop task while electroencephalography was recorded. Greater L2 usage was associated with reduced conflict effects, consistent with more efficient control. The N2 was larger for incongruent than congruent trials and varied by context, with lower L2 proficiency associated with greater context-dependent increases in N2 amplitude, whereas higher proficiency was associated with more stable responses. The conflict slow potential showed that earlier L2 acquisition was associated with greater sustained attentional resource availability across contexts. Together, these findings indicate that processing efficiency is reflected in how control demands are distributed across early and late stages of processing. More broadly, bilingual experiences shape distinct neural control profiles, highlighting the importance of interpreting behavioral and neural measures jointly.