How bilinguals control language when listening, speaking, and signing
Official title: Language Control Across Comprehension and Production in Unimodal and Bimodal Bilinguals
Run by University of California, San Diego · NCT07226921 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will test whether bilingual adults who use two spoken languages (Mandarin and English) or a spoken and a signed language (ASL and English) can control which language they use when they understand and produce words and signs.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 65 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 360 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | University of California, San Diego Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (San Diego, California) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | August 6, 2025 |
| Main results expected | May 31, 2030 |
| Study ends | July 31, 2030 |
| Registry record updated | November 12, 2025 |
| Trial ID | NCT07226921 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Healthy adults who are proficient in both Mandarin and English or proficient in both ASL and English, without neurological or language disorders, are ideal candidates.
✕Probably not a fit
People who are not proficient in the specified language pairs, who know a third language better than the study languages, or who have language or neurological disorders are unlikely to benefit from this study's findings.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
Researchers will recruit unimodal bilinguals (Mandarin–English) and bimodal bilinguals (ASL–English) and have them perform language tasks such as categorizing words and naming pictures in different language contexts. Experimental manipulations will vary predictability and language context while measuring accuracy and reaction time on comprehension and production tasks. The study compares behavioral performance across modalities to see how language control operates for spoken–spoken versus spoken–signed bilinguals. Participants with third-language dominance or neurological/language disorders are excluded to keep the sample focused on healthy, proficient bilinguals.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could improve understanding of how different bilingual experiences shape language control, which may inform language teaching and communication support strategies.
How similar studies have gone: Prior behavioral research on spoken-language bilinguals has reliably shown reaction-time and accuracy differences related to language control, but fewer studies have tested spoken-plus-sign (bimodal) bilinguals, so this extends established methods to a less-studied group.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Proficient in both Mandarin and English, or proficiency in both ASL and English Exclusion Criteria: * Know a third language better than Mandarin/English or better than ASL/English * With language disorder or other neurological disorders
Where it's running
-
UCSD
San Diego, California, United States Recruiting
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.