Cultural influences on inhibitory control: An ERP study in Taiwan
Poster No:
737
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Hao Chang1, Ya-Ping Cheng1, Yi-Tzu Chang2, Hsueh-Chih Chen1, Yu-Chen Chan3
Institutions:
1National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan, 2National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, 3National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
First Author:
Co-Author(s):
Introduction:
Bicultural individuals demonstrate cognitive flexibility, linked to enhanced executive functions (Bialystok, Craik, & Luk, 2012). Although cultural experiences shape cognition (Moreno et al., 2014), differences in inhibitory control between new immigrant and local participants in Taiwan remain unexplored. This study explored whether multicultural experiences enhance inhibitory function using event-related potential (ERP) methods. ERP components N2 and P3 assess inhibitory control. N2 in the fronto-central area reflects early inhibition and conflict monitoring. P3 in the centro-parietal area represents attention and inhibition. For both N2 and P3, larger amplitudes reflect successful inhibition, while longer latencies suggest slower processing. The AX-continuous performance task (AX-CPT) assesses inhibitory control. Participants respond to target pairs and suppress responses to others. This study integrated ERP methods and the AX-CPT task to investigate differences between participants from local families and participants from new immigrant families in Taiwan.
Methods:
Participants
This study recruited 46 participants, including 24 from new immigrant families (one parent from China, Hong Kong, Macau, or Southeast Asia, and the other Taiwanese) and 22 from local families (both parents Taiwanese), matched by age, gender, and education level. Ethical approval was obtained from the Research Ethics Review Committee of National Taiwan Normal University, and all participants provided written informed consent.
Materials
In the AX-CPT, participants were presented with pairs of consecutive letters: a cue (first letter) and a probe (second letter). AX trials are target conditions where "A" is followed by "X," requiring a quick reaction. Non-AX trials (e.g., AY, BX, BY) require withholding responses. Participants reacted for AX trials and withheld responses for others.
Data Acquisition and Analysis
EEG activity was recorded using a Neuroscan 64-electrode Quik-Cap system following the 10-10 system, with a total of 70 electrodes placed on the scalp. Impedances were kept below 5 kΩ before starting the experiment, and only correct responses were analyzed. EEG segments (200 ms pre-probe to 900 ms post-probe) from all trials were extracted, with a baseline defined as 200 ms pre-probe. For all trials, N2 (150–250 ms) was analyzed at Fz and Cz, while P3 (250–350 ms) was analyzed at Fz, Cz, and Pz. Paired t-tests were used to compare N2 and P3 amplitudes and latencies. Independent t-tests were conducted to compare new immigrant participants and local participants on trial counts, correct responses, and ERP component measures.
This study recruited 46 participants, including 24 from new immigrant families (one parent from China, Hong Kong, Macau, or Southeast Asia, and the other Taiwanese) and 22 from local families (both parents Taiwanese), matched by age, gender, and education level. Ethical approval was obtained from the Research Ethics Review Committee of National Taiwan Normal University, and all participants provided written informed consent.
Materials
In the AX-CPT, participants were presented with pairs of consecutive letters: a cue (first letter) and a probe (second letter). AX trials are target conditions where "A" is followed by "X," requiring a quick reaction. Non-AX trials (e.g., AY, BX, BY) require withholding responses. Participants reacted for AX trials and withheld responses for others.
Data Acquisition and Analysis
EEG activity was recorded using a Neuroscan 64-electrode Quik-Cap system following the 10-10 system, with a total of 70 electrodes placed on the scalp. Impedances were kept below 5 kΩ before starting the experiment, and only correct responses were analyzed. EEG segments (200 ms pre-probe to 900 ms post-probe) from all trials were extracted, with a baseline defined as 200 ms pre-probe. For all trials, N2 (150–250 ms) was analyzed at Fz and Cz, while P3 (250–350 ms) was analyzed at Fz, Cz, and Pz. Paired t-tests were used to compare N2 and P3 amplitudes and latencies. Independent t-tests were conducted to compare new immigrant participants and local participants on trial counts, correct responses, and ERP component measures.
Results:
This study included 23 new immigrant participants and 21 local participants for formal analysis. There were no significant differences between the groups in AX-CPT behavioral performance across all conditions, indicating that both groups achieved high accuracy in the task. The EEG results showed no significant differences in N2 amplitude or latency between the groups across all conditions, suggesting that conflict monitoring abilities were similar between the two groups. However, in the AY condition, new immigrant participants exhibited significantly lower P3 amplitudes compared to local participants.
·P3 waveforms in the AY condition comparison between participants from new immigrant families and local families
Conclusions:
This study found no behavioral differences but revealed differing neural allocation in inhibitory contexts for new immigrant participants, suggesting that participants from new immigrant families may allocate fewer attentional or working memory resources when processing inhibitory responses. This difference could be related to their cultural background and social experiences, highlighting the potential impact of multicultural experiences on executive function. Future research should explore proactive and reactive control in new immigrant participants and how cultural factors shape executive function in cognitive development.
Higher Cognitive Functions:
Executive Function, Cognitive Control and Decision Making 1
Novel Imaging Acquisition Methods:
EEG 2
Keywords:
Cognition
Electroencephaolography (EEG)
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
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Provide references using APA citation style.
Moreno, S., Wodniecka, Z., Tays, W., Alain, C., & Bialystok, E. (2014). Inhibitory control in bilinguals and musicians: Event-related potential (ERP) evidence for experience-specific effects. PLOS ONE, 9(4), e94169. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0094169