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How a second language and its future time reference impacts intertemporal decision: A holistic perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2023

Yuepei Xu Open the ORCID record for Yuepei Xu [Opens in a new window] ,
Chenggang Wu ,
Yang-Yang Zhang  and
Zhu-Yuan Liang Open the ORCID record for Zhu-Yuan Liang [Opens in a new window]
Yuepei Xu
Affiliation:
CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, 100101, China Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
Chenggang Wu
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Multilingual Education with AI, School of Education, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, 200083, China
Yang-Yang Zhang
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
Zhu-Yuan Liang*
Affiliation:
CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, 100101, China Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
*
Address for correspondence: Dr. Zhu-Yuan Liang, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China. liangzy@psych.ac.cn
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Abstract

Since globalization, using second languages (L2) to make decisions about future is more common than ever. In this study, we tested the merged effect of two language features, i.e., the future-time reference (FTR) and L2, on intertemporal decision and its indirect mediators, future orientation, and subjective future perception. As a pair of languages with different FTR, English (strong-FTR) has a clear grammatical separation between present and future, while Chinese (weak-FTR) does not. Here, Chinese first language (L1) speakers made intertemporal decisions using either Chinese (L1) or English (L2). Across three studies (N = 1022) and an internal meta-analysis, we found that using a strong-FTR L2 did not change participants’ intertemporal preference but did reduce their future orientation. These findings highlight a holistic perspective merging language features, outcome variables and measurement methods. These findings also imply a need for caution to use second language as nudge strategy in intertemporal decision-making.

Keywords

intertemporal decisionlinguistic-saving hypothesisforeign language effectfuture-orientationsubjective future perception
Type
Research Article
Information
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition , Volume 26 , Issue 5 , November 2023 , pp. 959 - 970
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

Supplementary material can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728923000184

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