Abstract
Early linguistic experience has an impact on the way we decode audiovisual speech in face-to-face communication. The present study examined whether differences in visual speech decoding could be linked to a broader difference in face processing. To identify a phoneme we have to do an analysis of the speaker’s face to focus on the relevant cues for speech decoding (e.g., locating the mouth with respect to the eyes). Face recognition processes were investigated through two classic effects in face recognition studies: the Other-Race Effect (ORE) and the Inversion Effect. Bilingual and monolingual participants did a face recognition task with Caucasian faces (own race), Chinese faces (other race), and cars that were presented in an Upright or Inverted position. The results revealed that monolinguals exhibited the classic ORE. Bilinguals did not. Overall, bilinguals were slower than monolinguals. These results suggest that bilinguals’ face processing abilities differ from monolinguals’. Early exposure to more than one language may lead to a perceptual organization that goes beyond language processing and could extend to face analysis. We hypothesize that these differences could be due to the fact that bilinguals focus on different parts of the face than monolinguals, making them more efficient in other race face processing but slower. However, more studies using eye-tracking techniques are necessary to confirm this explanation.
Highlights
Human social life is built through interactions, achieved via facial expressions and language communication. Pascalis et al (2014) proposed that face and language processing are intimately linked in their development, as they are part of the social communication system
We hypothesized that early bilingualism could affect the way the cognitive system has specialized –i.e., narrowed– and that this would affect face processing as adults
Previous research revealed that early Bilinguals process audiovisual speech differently than Monolinguals
Summary
Human social life is built through interactions, achieved via facial expressions and language communication. Pascalis et al (2014) proposed that face and language processing are intimately linked in their development, as they are part of the social communication system. Pascalis et al (2014) proposed that face and language processing are intimately linked in their development, as they are part of the social communication system. Face recognition processes follow similar perceptual narrowing patterns than visual speech perception. Perceptual narrowing refers to a progression whereby infants maintain ability to discriminate stimuli to which they are exposed, but lose ability to discriminate stimuli to which they are not exposed (for face processing see Kelly et al, 2007; for speech processing see Pons et al, 2009). Adults are experts for the faces and languages present in their environment. Their face and language systems are interactive, and their neural mechanisms are linked to some extent
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