Neurophysiological evidence for delayed information integration but faster risk evaluation in the second language

The cognitive architecture of decision-making in bilinguals manifests differentially in the first and second languages, a phenomenon previously linked to attenuated emotional resonance in non-native language contexts. This investigation establishes the neurophysiological chronometry underlying language-modulated decision processes in Chinese–English bilinguals during a strategic economic game. Participants engaged in a coin-drawing paradigm requiring either veridical reporting when drawing a coin (mandatory betting) or presenting a strategic choice when drawing a blank (free choice between betting / lying and truth-telling). All participants exhibited the expected increase in betting frequency following coin draws, but only monolingual controls manifested shorter response latencies in this condition. While language context failed to induce measurable behavioral alterations in bilinguals, data-driven linear mixed-effects modeling of single-trial electroencephalographic data uncovered a temporal cascade wherein language context effects preceded draw outcome processing, with subsequent language-draw interactions emerging 450-600 ms post-stimulus. This time course indicates that draw outcome integration occurs approximately 150 ms later in the second than the first language in bilinguals. Crucially, when participants were free to bet or not, neural signatures discriminating between betting and non-betting decisions revealed an interaction with language context, with decision-related activity manifesting earlier in the second language and suggesting accelerated risk evaluation. Collectively, these findings reveal a language-dependent temporal dissociation in bilingual decision processing: delayed information integration yet expedited risk assessment in the second language. This neurophysiological evidence illuminates the complex interplay between linguistic and executive function in multilingual individuals, with implications for understanding situational awareness and decision-making efficacy.