Dr Adam John Privitera publishes a journal article, a book chapter, and delivers two international lectures

Dr Adam John Privitera, Education Research Scientist at the Science of Learning in Education Centre (SoLEC), published an article titled, “Bilingual Effects on Cognitive Control: Are we Looking in the Right Place?” in the Bilingualism: Language and Cognition journal. Whether bilingualism confers non-linguistic advantages on cognitive continues to generate both interest and debate in the psychological sciences. In response to mixed reports and methodological criticisms, researchers have embraced more rigorous practices when investigating bilingual effects on cognitive control. Despite considerable advances, one significant issue persists: the assumption that task performance is stable through time. To address this, this study, published in Bilingualism: Language and Cognition (SSCI Q1), investigated the relationship between bilingual language experience and Simon task performance modeled as a continuous function of time using a novel method for analysing behavioral data that models learning trajectories for individual participants. In a sample of Mandarin-English bilingual young adults, we identified distinct patterns of results across both conventional and time-sensitive performance trajectory measures with each supporting a different relationship between language experience and cognitive control. Results suggest that reliance on conventional performance measures may be partially responsible for mixed results, necessitating reevaluation of how bilingual effects on cognitive control manifest and which analysis methods best support their identification. Adam has also been invited to deliver an oral presentation on the findings from this study at the 66th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society in Denver, Colorado this November.

He also co-published a chapter titled “Foreign Language Anxiety” in the Elsevier Reference Collection in Social Sciences.This chapter provides a brief overview of key insights gained from decades of research on Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA). While its causes and behavioral and psychological impacts are well-documented, its neurobiological underpinnings have only recently begun to be explored, shedding light on how FLA affects brain structures involved in language, cognitive control, and emotion. Future research should delve further into these neural mechanisms and consider how individual differences in bilingual language experience influence the emergence and severity of FLA, ultimately aiming to enhance L2 education and learner support. This chapter is part of the newest edition of the International Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, The most authoritative, up-to-date, comprehensive, and international reference source in its field.

On 3 July 2025, Dr Adam was invited to present a lecture to the senior leadership and advisory board of the Advanced Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. The lecture "Bilingual Effects on Cognitive Control: Addressing Limits and Advancing the Field" was presented to inform the research agenda of the Advanced Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences. Attendees included Professor Zeng Yong, former president of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China and current dean of the Advanced Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Professor Guillaume Thierry from Bangor University who serves on the institute's advisory board.

On 11 July 2025, he was also invited by the School of Foreign Languages, Dalian University of Technology, China to deliver a lecture titled "Bilingual Effects on Cognitive Control: A Methodological Reconsideration". The lecture was attended by around 30 faculty members from the School of Foreign Languages.