Inhibition processing in code-switching among Chinese–English–Japanese trilinguals: Evidence from the n –2 language repetition costs

Aims and Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate whether there was inhibitory processing in code-switching during language comprehension among Chinese–English–Japanese trilinguals and whether n –2 language repetition costs were contingent upon particular stimulus–response configurations. Methodology: This experiment employed semantic categorization tasks, with non-cognate animal and non-animal words as experimental stimuli, and the n –2 language repetition costs as a discerning experimental indicator, to explore whether there was inhibitory processing in code-switching during language comprehension among Chinese–English–Japanese trilinguals. Furthermore, we investigated the impact of stimulus–response configuration on inhibitory processing during switching between phonetic and logographic writing systems. This approach allowed for a detailed exploration of the cognitive mechanisms underpinning language switching and the factors influencing inhibitory control in multilingual contexts. Data and Analysis: The experimental data collected were analyzed using the R language with the lme4 package. Reaction times were fitted to a linear mixed-effects model, while accuracy was binary coded and fitted to a generalized mixed-effects model with a logistic link function. Findings: The study found that: (1) there were n –2 language repetition costs in Chinese–English–Japanese trilinguals’ code-switching during language comprehension and (2) the n –2 language repetition costs in code-switching processing during language comprehension was not affected by specific stimulus–response configurations but was related to the psychological representation of the competing languages. Originality: There is a lack of research investigating the switching of three language tasks using n –2 language repetition costs as an index. Limited studies employing n –2 language repetition costs as an index have predominantly focused on the level of language production, with language comprehension yet to be examined. In addition, there exists a dearth of research addressing the inhibitory mechanisms involved in the code-switching process between phonetic and logographic writing systems; even more limited attention has been directed toward the intricacies of switching between three non-cognate languages. Significance/Implications: The study reveals the inhibitory processing involved in code-switching between phonetic and logographic writing systems. It extends previous findings concerning the inhibitory processing of code-switching during language production within phonetic languages, providing new insights into the research on code-switching and the n –2 language repetition costs among multilingual individuals.