2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase

Attentional Control During Language Conflict in Bilingual Adults with Schizophrenia: Evidence from Stroop Performance and Pupillometry

Document Type

Student Presentation

Presentation Date

4-24-2026

Faculty Sponsor

Dr. Andriana Christofalos

Abstract

This project explores how bilingual adults with schizophrenia (Sz) allocate attention when resolving conflict between competing language representations. Sz is associated with impairments in language processing and attentional control, yet it remains unclear how these disruptions operate in bilingual contexts. To address this, we propose recruiting clinically stable bilingual adults with Sz and matched bilingual controls to complete a multilingual color-word Stroop task. On each trial, participants will name the ink color in one of their two languages while an eye tracker records pupil dilation as an index of attentional effort. We predict that Sz will show larger interference effects on incongruent color trials than controls, as demonstrated by a greater slowdown in response times, a larger decrease in accuracy, and greater phasic pupil dilation. We further predict larger language switch costs in Sz, with greater interference effects on switch trials (e.g., GREEN → verde) than stay trials (e.g., GREEN → green). These effects are expected to reflect greater difficulty resolving competition between the two languages and allocating attention to select the appropriate response language. The findings of this study will provide insight into how attentional control is engaged during language switching in Sz.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS