Between-Language Repetition Priming In Antonym Generation: Examining Conceptual Encoding And Representation Of Adjectives

Previous research has shown repetition priming effects between languages, suggesting that a bilingual\u27s two languages share conceptual representation. However these studies have been conducted mainly utilizing concrete nouns as stimuli. In the present study, it was hypothesized that adjectives would produce significant between-language repetition priming. The experiment utilized a 4 (encoding task) X 2 (test language) within-subjects design in which participants (N = 64) encoded words in read only, translation English to Spanish and translation Spanish to English conditions and at test performed an antonym generation task in either Spanish or English. The results revealed that participants were significantly faster at test when the antonym they were expected to generate was an item seen at encoding. Results also revealed that participants were more likely to produce the expected antonym when it was an item seen at encoding. The current work provides the first evidence of between-language repetition priming utilizing adjectives, which suggests shared representation of abstract items. Implications for models of bilingualism as well as concept representation are discussed