The partially overlapping nature of inhibitory control and preparatory control during language and task switching

The relationship between language switching and task switching has been well studied in bilingualism literature. This study employs novel experiments involving magnitude-parity switching and transparency-orientation switching and compares the costs associated with these two types of task switching with language switching. Switching costs and the reduction in switching costs (RISC) effect were used as indices of inhibitory control and preparatory control, respectively. The results from Experiment 1 revealed strong positive correlations for all three types of switching, with language switching being less costly than magnitude-parity and transparency-orientation switching. In Experiment 2, we increased the cue-stimulus interval and again found significant or marginally positive relations between the three switching costs. The RISC effect emerged in magnitude-parity and transparency-orientation switching but not in language switching. In Experiment 3, the experimental blocks included both language switching and either magnitude-parity or transparency-orientation switching. Language switching costs were significantly greater than but no longer positively correlated with magnitude-parity switching or transparency-orientation switching costs. Together, these results suggest that more inhibitory control (in Experiments 1 and 3) and less preparatory control (in Experiment 2) in language switching is required compared to magnitude-parity and transparency-orientation switching. Moreover, partially overlapping mechanisms are engaged in the three switching domains.