Overlap in the cerebral processing of language and executive control: an ERP study on the effects of age and sex

Bilinguals can switch languages while suppressing interference from the non-target language. This language control (LC) is hypothesised to arise from neurocognitive mechanisms shared with executive control. However, the extent of this overlap, and the influence of age and sex remain unclear. Eighty Dutch-English bilingual adults (young and middle-aged) completed language switching (LS) and task switching (TS) ERP paradigms. LS and TS costs were compared during cue, early and late stimulus processing. Results showed no LS or TS cost amplitude differences during cue and early stimulus processing. However, LS costs exceeded TS costs during late stimulus processing. Additionally, age influenced LS and TS amplitudes and latencies during cue processing, while age and sex appeared to influence LS latency costs during early stimulus processing. These findings suggest domain-general LC during cue and early stimulus processing, but domain-specific LC during late stimulus processing, with age and sex playing a role in LC efficiency.