Cross-codal Processing of Bridging Inferences: A Comparison between English and Chinese Speakers

The current study investigated the integration of cross-codal information when processing bridging inferences. 4 groups of participants (namely Chinese monolingual speakers, English monolingual speakers, advanced Chinese learners of English, and advanced English learners of Chinese) read 4-segment pictorial or textual stories where the bridging event was 1) in the same codality as the context, or 2) replaced with the same information conveyed in the other codality. The results revealed the picture-to-text cross-codal integration caused no problems for all groups. Meanwhile, the Chinese monolinguals were not disturbed by text-to-picture cross-codal integration. However, the other three groups needed significantly more time in picture-to-text integration, indicating it might be associated with additional cognitive costs, if a) the texts are alphabetic or b) the language proficiency is relatively low. Individual differences like working memory capacities were also found to modulate the integration process.