Forgetting “Novel” but Not “Dragon”: The Role of Age of Acquisition on Intentional and Incidental Forgetting

Two experiments studied how the age at which words are acquired (Age of Acquisition, AoA) modulates forgetting. Experiment 1 employed the retrieval-practice paradigm to test the effect of AoA on the incidental forgetting that emerges after solving competition during retrieval (i.e., retrieval-induced forgetting, RIF). Standard RIF appeared with late-acquired words, but this effect disappeared with early-acquired words. Experiment 2 evaluated the effect of AoA on intentional forgetting by employing the list-method directed forgetting paradigm. Results showed a standard directed forgetting effect only when the to-be-forgotten words were late-acquired words. These findings point to the prominent role of AoA in forgetting processes.This research was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (http://www.mineco.gob.es/portal/site/mineco/?lang_choosen=en) to AM (PSI2013-46033-P), TB (PSI2012-33625), and CJG-A (PSI2011-25797), and from the Ministry of Science (http://www.mineco.gob.es/portal/site/mineco/?lang_choosen=en) (EDU2008-01111) and the Andalusian Government (http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/) (P12-CTS-2369) to TB

Sex, menstrual cycle, and hormonal contraceptives influences on global–local processing

This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (National I + D Plan: PSI2017–89324-C2–1- P and PSI2017–89324-C2–2-P). Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada / CBUA.The effect of sex hormones on global–local tasks has rarely been studied, offering, when done, conflicting results possibly modulated by the congruency between hierarchical stimuli, and by the attentional demands. Here, we examined the global advantage (GA) effect in men (with high testosterone levels), women in the mid-luteal phase (with high levels of estradiol and progesterone), in the ovulatory phase (with high estradiol but low progesterone levels); and in the early follicular phase and with hormonal contraceptive (HC) use (with low sex hormone levels). The level of processing (global–local), the congruency (congruent vs. incongruent), and attentional demands (divided vs. selective) were manipulated. The divided-incongruent condition was sensible to estradiol and progesterone levels and, in this condition, mid-luteal women performed more locally while men performed more globally. The selective-incongruent condition was sensible to the testosterone level and, in this condition, men were faster. The HC group showed a congruency effect in the GA reaction times (RTs) during both, divided and selective conditions. Finally, the GA RTs of the ovulatory group differed from the early follicular and mid-luteal groups only in the congruent-selective condition, but the performance was not related with sex hormone levels. This result is interpreted in relation with the brain effects of estradiol in the absence but not in the presence of progesterone. Thus, sex, menstrual cycle, HC, task difficulty and sex hormones seem to modulate performance in the global–local task. These factors represent an important source of variability in studies focused on the processing of hierarchical stimuli and allow apparently inconsistent data to be explained.Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (National I + D Plan: PSI2017–89324-C2–1- P and PSI2017–89324-C2–2-P)Universidad de Granada / CBU

Prospective memory in bilinguals and monolinguals: ERP and behavioural correlates of prospective processing in bilinguals

Prospective memory (PM) allows us to form intentions and execute them in the future. Successful retrieval of prospective intentions depends on adequate context monitoring and disengagement from the ongoing task. These processes are also central in predicting incoming language information and guiding language production in bilinguals. We investigated if different bilingual experiences (early/late bilinguals, monolinguals) modulate performance in PM tasks that varied in attentional requirements (focal vs. non-focal). Behavioural and eventrelated potential (ERP) results indicated that early bilinguals differed from late bilinguals and monolinguals in how they performed the prospective task. Specifically, they showed larger differences between the ongoing activity and the prospective task in the N300 and P3b components when performing the more difficult non-focal PM task, indicating that they engaged in monitoring/updating to adapt to the task’s demands. These differences were not observed in late bilinguals and monolinguals, suggesting that prospective processing is dependent on the bilingual experience.Spanish Government FPU17/03378Junta de Andalucia PSI 2017-89324-C2-2-P PGC2018-093786-B-I00 30B51801 A-CTS-111-UGR18/B-CTS-384-UGR20/P20_0010

ERP and Behavioural Correlates of Prospective Memory in Bilinguals during L1 and L2 Processing

Language influences how we process information from multiple domains. Thus, working in first (L1) or second language (L2) can modulate bilinguals’ performance on basic activities, such as visual search, decision-making, or reading. However, few studies have explored the role of L1 and L2 processing during an essential ability, such as Prospective Memory (PM). This type of memory allows us to set intentions to perform in the future (e.g., to attend an appointment). Thus, this is a novel study that allows us to explore the influence of bilingual language processing on certain cognitive abilities, which have not been deeply studied yet, such as the recall of future intentions. Thereby, this study aimed to explore the neural and behavioural correlates of bilinguals during L1 and L2 processing in a PM task where participants had to carry out an ongoing task while recovering a prospective intention given a PM cue. Importantly, the nature of the PM cue (focal or non-focal) varied the monitoring demands of the task. Behavioural and Event-Related Potential (ERP) results indicated greater engagement of monitoring processes in the PM task during L2 processing. Specifically, in L2, we found lower accuracy rates in the ongoing task and smaller amplitude differences between the focal and non-focal conditions in the P3b. Altogether, these findings suggest an impairment in prospective processing due to working in L2 contexts, supporting previous research on the impact of the bilingual experience over PM.FPU17/03378 from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Vocational TrainingSpanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness to A.M. (PSI 2017-89324-C2-2-P/PID2021-127728NB-I00)(PGC2018-093786-B-I00 30B51801/PID2021-127728NB-I00)Junta de Andalucía (A-CTS-111- UGR18/B-CTS-384-UGR20/P20_00107

Prospective memory in bilinguals: Recalling future intentions in first and second language contexts

This research was supported by the doctoral research grant FPU17/03378 to Cristina López-Rojas; by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness to Alejandra Marful (PSI 2017-89324-C2-2-P) and to M. Teresa Bajo (PGC2018-093786-B-I00 30B51801); from Junta de Andalucía (A-CTS-111-UGR18 / B-CTS-384- UGR20 / P20_00107) to M. Teresa Bajo; and from MSCA-COFUND Athenea3i to Ana I. Pérez (754446-AT3i). Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada / CBUA.Recalling future intentions (i.e., prospective memory, PM) plays an essential role in everyday life, but sometimes, if the person is involved in a demanding ongoing task, PM is unsuccessful. This is especially relevant for bilinguals who, in many situations, have to recall intentions while performing a task in their second language (L2). Our aim was to explore whether PM is modulated by the linguistic context in which PM takes place. In this study, bilinguals performed a PM task in their first (L1) or second language (L2). We also manipulated the demands of the ongoing task (early/late updating) and the PM cue (focal/non-focal). In general, results showed an overall impairment in the recall of future intentions when the task was performed in L2. This impairment was especially evident in the more demanding conditions, suggesting that increments in attentional demands due to L2 processing hinder the processes required for prospective remembering.Grant FPU17/03378Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (PSI 2017-89324-C2-2-P) (PGC2018-093786-B-I00 30B51801)Junta de Andalucía (A-CTS-111-UGR18 / B-CTS-384- UGR20 / P20_00107)MSCA-COFUND Athenea3i (754446-AT3i)Universidad de Granada/CBU