Overview
I am a second year PhD student in Cognitve Psychology at the University of Exeter working under the supervision of Prof. Aureliu Lavric, Prof. Stephen Monsell and Dr. Heike Elchlepp. I was awarded a +3 studentship from the ESRC to investigate the role of cognitive control in bilingualism.
Qualifications
BSc (Hons) Psychology, University of Exeter, 2017
MSc Psychological Research Methods, University of Exeter, 2019
Research group links
Research
Research interests
I am interested in cognitive control in various domains.
My primary research interest, and the subject of my PhD, is the role of cognitive control in bilingualism. I am interested in circumstances under which bilingual communication is, or is not, cognitively effortful and requires endogenous control. I focus primarily on the role of cognitive control in language switching, both in language production and comprehension.
In collaboration with Prof. Aureliu Lavric, I have conducted research comparing task switching and language switching, with a focus on the domain-general vs. domain-specfic use of top-down control.
In collaboration with Prof. Stephen Monsell, I also conduct research into the acquisition of novel task-set, focusing on the declarative-to-procedural shift in representation of task-set when learning new tasks.
During my Masters degree, I conducted research into the acquisition of novel attentional templates under the supervison of Prof. Aureliu Lavric and Prof. Stephen Monsell.
Alongside my Masters degree, I also worked on a research project headed by Dr. Heike Elchlepp looking at the effects of mindfulness meditation on different aspects of attentional control.
Publications
Key publications | Publications by category | Publications by year
Publications by category
Journal articles
Graham B, Lavric A (2021). Preparing to switch languages versus preparing to switch tasks: Which is more effective?.
J Exp Psychol Gen,
150(10), 1956-1973.
Abstract:
Preparing to switch languages versus preparing to switch tasks: Which is more effective?
A substantial literature relates task-set control and language selection in bilinguals-with "switching" paradigms serving as a methodological "bridge." We asked a basic question: is preparation for a switch equally effective in the two domains? Bilinguals switched between naming pictures in one language and another, or between the tasks of naming and categorizing pictures. The critical trials used for comparing the two kinds of switching were identical in all respects-task (naming), stimuli, responses-except one: whether the shape cue presented before the picture specified the language or the task. The effect of preparation on the "switch cost" was examined by varying the cue-stimulus interval (CSI; 50/800/1,175 ms). Preparation for a task switch was more effective: Increasing the CSI from 50 to 800 ms reduced the reaction time task switch cost by ∼63% to its minimum, but the language switch cost only by ∼24%, the latter continuing to reduce with further opportunity for preparation (CSI = 1,175 ms). The switch costs in the two domains correlated moderately (r =. 36). We propose that preparation for a language switch is less effective, because (a) it must preemptively counteract greater interference during a language switch than during a task switch, and/or (b) lexical access is less amenable to "top-down" control than (components of) task-set. We also investigated the associations between stimuli and the language (or task) where they were last encountered. Associative history influenced performance-but similarly for switches and repetitions-indicating that stimulus-induced associative retrieval of language (or task-set) did not contribute to switch costs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Abstract.
Author URL.
Publications by year
2021
Graham B, Lavric A (2021). Preparing to switch languages versus preparing to switch tasks: Which is more effective?.
J Exp Psychol Gen,
150(10), 1956-1973.
Abstract:
Preparing to switch languages versus preparing to switch tasks: Which is more effective?
A substantial literature relates task-set control and language selection in bilinguals-with "switching" paradigms serving as a methodological "bridge." We asked a basic question: is preparation for a switch equally effective in the two domains? Bilinguals switched between naming pictures in one language and another, or between the tasks of naming and categorizing pictures. The critical trials used for comparing the two kinds of switching were identical in all respects-task (naming), stimuli, responses-except one: whether the shape cue presented before the picture specified the language or the task. The effect of preparation on the "switch cost" was examined by varying the cue-stimulus interval (CSI; 50/800/1,175 ms). Preparation for a task switch was more effective: Increasing the CSI from 50 to 800 ms reduced the reaction time task switch cost by ∼63% to its minimum, but the language switch cost only by ∼24%, the latter continuing to reduce with further opportunity for preparation (CSI = 1,175 ms). The switch costs in the two domains correlated moderately (r =. 36). We propose that preparation for a language switch is less effective, because (a) it must preemptively counteract greater interference during a language switch than during a task switch, and/or (b) lexical access is less amenable to "top-down" control than (components of) task-set. We also investigated the associations between stimuli and the language (or task) where they were last encountered. Associative history influenced performance-but similarly for switches and repetitions-indicating that stimulus-induced associative retrieval of language (or task-set) did not contribute to switch costs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Abstract.
Author URL.
Monsell S, Graham B (2021). Role of verbal working memory in rapid procedural acquisition of a choice response task.
Abstract:
Role of verbal working memory in rapid procedural acquisition of a choice response task.
Dataset associated with the article:
Role of verbal working memory in rapid procedural acquisition of a choice response task
published in Cognition.
Abstract.
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