Evidence for long-term cross-language repetition priming in conceptual implicit memory tasks

Previous studies have failed to find evidence for long-term cross-language repetition priming (e.g., presentation of the English word frog does not facilitate responding to its Dutch translation equivalent kikker on a later presentation). The present study tested the hypothesis that failure to find cross-language repetition priming in previous studies was due to the use of tasks that rely primarily on lexical or orthographic processing of the stimuli instead of conceptual processing. Consistent with this hypothesis we obtained reliable cross-language repetition priming when conceptual implicit memory tasks were used. The present results support theories of bilingual memory that assume shared conceptual representations for translation equivalents. In particular, our results support the concept mediation model as they indicate that bilinguals access the conceptional representation directly from the L2 lexical representation (i.e., without first accessing the L1 lexical representation).