title: Speaking two languages with different number naming systems: What implications for magnitude judgments in bilinguals at different stages of language acquisition?
abstract: Differences between languages in terms of number naming systems may lead to performance differences in number processing. The current study focused on differences concerning the order of decades and units in two-digit number words (i.e., unit-decade order in German but decade-unit order in French) and how they affect number magnitude judgments. Participants performed basic numerical tasks, namely two-digit number magnitude judgments, and we used the compatibility effect (Nuerk et al. in Cognition 82(1):B25-B33, 2001) as a hallmark of language influence on numbers. In the first part we aimed to understand the influence of language on compatibility effects in adults coming from German or French monolingual and German-French bilingual groups (Experiment 1). The second part examined how this language influence develops at different stages of language acquisition in individuals with increasing bilingual proficiency (Experiment 2). Language systematically influenced magnitude judgments such that: (a) The spoken language(s) modulated magnitude judgments presented as Arabic digits, and (b) bilinguals' progressive language mastery impacted magnitude judgments presented as number words. Taken together, the current results suggest that the order of decades and units in verbal numbers may qualitatively influence magnitude judgments in bilinguals and monolinguals, providing new insights into how number processing can be influenced by language(s).
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cognitive Science and Assessment, Education, Culture, Cognition and Society research Unit, University of Luxembourg, 11, Porte des Sciences, 4366, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg. amandine.vanrinsveld@uni.lu.
authors.forename: Amandine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van Rinsveld
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cognitive Science and Assessment, Education, Culture, Cognition and Society research Unit, University of Luxembourg, 11, Porte des Sciences, 4366, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schiltz
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology-Developmental Psychology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2/DG, 8010, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Landerl
authors.affiliation: Free University of Berlin and Berlin-Brandenburg Institute for School Quality, Otto-von-Simson-Str. 15, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brunner
authors.affiliation: Luxembourg Center for Educational Testing, LUCET, University of Luxembourg, 11, Porte des Sciences, 4366, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ugen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D019303:Multilingualism; D009275:Names; D012660:Semantics; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Bilingualism; Language acquisition; Magnitude judgments; Number words