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Bilingual arithmetic in the brain: an ERP study of simple multiplication in balanced bilinguals and English speakers with limited L2

Poster Session B - Sunday, March 8, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

CaraNina Parker¹, Maria Diaz¹, Sarah Martinez¹, Sissy De Los Reyes¹, Vanessa Cerda¹; ¹Texas A&M International University

Typically, bilinguals learn multiplication facts in their native language (L1), resulting in a performance advantage for arithmetic in L1 compared to a second language (L2). This advantage is often greater for individuals with lower L2 proficiency. The bilingual encoding complex model posits that language proficiency influences the strength of associative links between multiplication problems and solutions within language-specific memory networks. Consequently, individuals with lower L2 proficiency may access L2 arithmetic representations less efficiently than higher-proficiency adults. This project examines whether adults with low L2 proficiency exhibit distinct neural responses to multiplication problems presented in each language compared to adults with balanced L1 and L2 proficiency. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded as participants verified the correctness of spoken multiplication facts (e.g., 2×4=8?) in L1 or L2. Preliminary behavioral data (N = 16) suggest that low L2 proficiency adults were more accurate and faster than adults with balanced L1 and L2 proficiency (Mₐcc = 77% vs. 73%; MRT = 1,190 ms vs. 1,270 ms). Both groups showed an L1 advantage; however, low L2 proficiency adults’ performance in Spanish was slightly lower than that of adults with balanced proficiency, suggesting potential convergence in L2 arithmetic processing among lower-proficiency participants. Preliminary ERP findings indicate that, for low L2 proficiency adults, incorrect L2 solutions elicit a larger N400 component than correct ones, reflecting differences in semantic memory access. In contrast, this effect appears modulated by a target-related P300 in L1, suggesting that over-rehearsed L1 arithmetic relies on automatic retrieval, whereas L2 problems evoke deeper processing.

Topic Area: LANGUAGE: Other