Exploring the cognitive interplay between multilingualism, inhibitory control and mind wandering

Abstract

This study examined whether self-assessed multilingual proficiency and use of additional languages predict individual differences in inhibitory control (IC) and mind wandering (MW) among UK university students. Sixty-five participants completed a Go/No-Go task measuring response inhibition and the BMW-3 questionnaire, which assessed unintentional, intentional and meta-awareness dimensions of MW. Multilingualism was operationalised using a continuous composite index integrating self-rated proficiency and daily use of non-native languages. The index scores were not significantly associated with response inhibition or meta-awareness. However, higher multilingual proficiency index scores were significantly associated with lower levels of unintentional MW. These findings suggest that, moving beyond categorical comparisons, greater self-reported multilingual proficiency and use of additional languages may support the regulation of internally directed thought, rather than externally triggered IC. Implications for future research and potential applications in education and attention-related interventions are discussed.