Studying Bilingualism Through Eye-Tracking and Brain Imaging

Abstract

our current understanding of the brain, informed by technology such as fMRI. Theevolution of knowledge continues, as with the study of bilingualism and the question of whether multiple languages have shared or separate representations. We began our review by describing early case studies on selective aphasia, which had contributed to the idea that a bilingual ’ s two languages may be stored and processed independently of each other. Since then, we have come to understand that the question of shared versus separate representations is too simplistic to capture the complexity of the bilingual mind. Given that language processing results from highly inter-connected networks of activity, this question should be revised to ask what representations and processes are shared under speci fi c conditions and to what extent. We have begun to answer some of these questions through the use of tools such as eye-tracking and fMRI – revealing how individual attributes (such as pro fi ciency), as well as language characteristics (such as phonological properties), in fl uence the degrees to which different languages overlap in linguistic processing and neural representation. While we have made great strides toward understanding the structure and function of the bilingual neurocognitive system, it is important to remember that we do not stand at the end of history and new methodologies will inevitably provide novel insights as the journey of science continues onward.