Keywords

Bilingualism; Locus of Control; Personality; Social Anxiety; Priming; Cognitive Load

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of bilingualism worldwide highlights the importance of further research into its impact on socio-cognitive processes. This study examines variations in personality traits, anxiety levels, locus of control, and cognitive load during language switching, utilizing cultural and visual-linguistic priming techniques to explore real-time socio-cognitive shifts across language contexts. A 2×3 mixed-factorial design compared language groups (monolingual vs. bilingual) across three priming conditions (semantic, cultural, and control). 120 participants completed a series of subjective and objective measures, including the Big Five Personality Inventory, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, and Rotter’s I-E Scale in both languages, with controlled language-specific priming conditions and cognitive load monitoring. It was hypothesized that personality traits would exhibit systematic variation across cultural-linguistic contexts. Additionally, it was hypothesized that priming would enhance cognitive activation within each linguistic framework, potentially magnifying the effects of language switching. Results showed that bilinguals showed significantly more external locus of control in L2 than L1 across all priming conditions. In addition, negative emotionality was also elevated in L2 only under cultural priming. Furthermore, agreeableness in Spanish differed significantly by prime group. Finally, there was a significant interaction effect between gender and language group on social anxiety levels. Tests of simple effects indicated that females scored significantly higher than male participants on social anxiety within the monolingual group. This study aims to enhance understanding of intercultural communication processes and illuminate the cognitive and emotional challenges faced by bilingual individuals. The findings will have implications for contexts ranging from high-stakes intercultural communication, such as the International Space Station and courtrooms, to clinical assessment and therapeutic interventions with multilingual populations.

Thesis Completion Year

2026

Thesis Completion Semester

Spring

Thesis Chair

Mouloua, Mustapha

College

College of Sciences

Department

Psychology

Thesis Discipline

Psychology

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus Access

None

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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Rights Statement

In Copyright