Foreign Language Effect On Self-Positivity Bias:Event-Related Potential Evidence

Bilinguals or multilinguals may display differences in thinking and behavior when using their native language as compared to foreign language,which is termed as“foreign language effect”.This effect has been found in a variety of cognitive domains,notably in decision making and moral judgment,showing that cognitive biases are reduced by using a foreign language.In this study,we investigated the foreign language effect on a specific cognitive bias— self-positivity bias,which refers to automatic association of oneself with positive information and has a facilitation role in maintaining mental health.Given that self-positivity bias is an automatic and unconscious cognitive process,we employed the implicit association test(IAT)combined with event-related potentials(ERPs)to measure the foreign language effect on self-positivity bias.In particular,we aimed to address two questions: 1)Is there any self-positivity bias,when the native language is used,indexed by longer reaction times,larger N200 amplitudes which relate to habitual response inhibition,and smaller P300 amplitudes which relate to attentional resource allocation in the incompatible(associating self with negative traits)relative to compatible conditions(associating self with positive traits)? 2)Would the self-positivity bias be modulated by the use of a foreign language,that is,would the bias be diminished or abolished in the foreign language context?A total of 16 Chinese-English bilinguals completed the language history questionnaire and then the IAT where self-and others-related pronouns as well as positive and negative adjectives were provided in either the native language Chinese or foreign language English.IAT altogether consisted of four conditions: compatible and incompatible sessions in two different language contexts respectively.In the compatible sessions of the IAT,participants were required to press the same key when self-related pronouns or positive adjectives were presented;and press another key when others-related pronouns or negative trait words were presented;in the incompatible sessions,the sequence was reversed such that self-related pronouns were associated with negative adjectives.Behavioral data and ERPs were recorded throughout the IAT task.Reaction time and accuracy rate in the four conditions were then compared.ERPs were time-locked to the category words(self-related pronouns in this study),which would to the largest extent activate individuals’ implicit attitudes.As previous studies have shown that N200 correlates with the inhibition of habitual response and P300 relates to the allocation of attentional resources,we further analyzed N200 and P300 amplitudes in the four conditions separately.Behavioral results showed a main effect of compatibility in both reaction time and accuracy rate,such that participants responded faster and more accurately in the compatible relative to incompatible conditions.However,the interaction effect of language with compatibility was not significant,indicating that language did not modulate the self-positivity bias.It occurred in both Chinese and English,reflecting the robustness of the bias.In terms of ERPs,the N200 amplitudes in both language contexts did not display any significant effect of the self-positivity bias.Similarly,the language-compatibility interaction in the P300 did not reach the significant level.However,our exploratory analysis revealed that in the Chinese context,compatible as compared to incompatible conditions elicited larger P300 amplitudes and this was not found in the English context,indicating that the self-positivity bias observed in the native language was diminished when the foreign language was used.And,this result was not contributed by proficiency,frequency of use,or age of acquisition.To conclude,this study investigated the foreign language effect on the self-positivity bias,providing new evidence for the foreign language effect’s ubiquity in various domains of cognition and behavior.It also provides important implications for language choices when self-protective mechanisms should be enhanced.