Constructing Perception Through Language: A Bilingual Cognitive Study of Color, Emotion, and Spatial Reasoning

This study investigates the influence of code-switching on bilingual cognitive performance in three perceptual domains: color perception, emotion, and spatial reasoning. The research measures reaction time (RT), accuracy, and cognitive load to assess how language regulates perceptual domains and cognitive mechanisms, such as categorization, working memory, and attentional control, involved in the experiment. In total, 23 participants (17 bilingual, 6 Turkish monolingual) completed domain-specific tasks in Turkish (L1) and English (L2), while bilinguals performed in both languages, monolinguals performed only in Turkish. A mixed-methods approach was used to analyze quantitative (reaction time, accuracy rates, and cognitive load ratings) and qualitative (open-ended descriptions, culturally salient stimuli analysis) data. Results indicate that bilinguals had longer RTs and increased cognitive load in L2, especially in spatial recognition tasks. Accuracy was maintained both in L1 and L2. Color and emotion perception tasks had higher accuracy in L1, whereas some spatial tasks were more accurate in L2. Furthermore, culturally salient stimuli showed conceptual access between languages during code-switching. Qualitative responses highlighted perceived difficulty and cognitive load in L2. Interestingly, Likert scale self-assessments failed to capture the same difficulty. The findings support the Adaptive Control Hypothesis (Green & Abutalebi, 2013) and Revised Hierarchical Model (Kroll & Stewart, 1994) by stating variation in RT, accuracy, and cognitive load during code-switching while performing tasks. Overall, these results suggest that bilingual cognition is sensitive to language context since perceptual and emotional categories are modulated by linguistic structure and cultural grounding. This study contributes empirical support to the understanding of bilingual experience of code-switching and its effects on perceptual domains.