The effect of foreign language on emotion regulation

Abstract

Hay personas que se pueden enfrentar, por unas razones u otras, a un tratamiento terapéutico en un idioma que no es su idioma nativo. Hasta la fecha, no hay apenas información de qué efecto tendría usar una lengua no nativa o foreign language en la que no se es tan proficient, al abordar determinadas estrategias psicoterapéuticas. En este proyecto nos acercamos a esta pregunta en unos paradigmas muy concretos. Para empezar, se explora la extinción del miedo en idioma nativo y foreign, posteriormente la estrategia de cognitive reappraisal in both languages when presenting phobic images, and finally the retrieval and processing of negative past events in both languages as well. The results give us som perspective of the direction que puede tomar una psicoterapia bilingüe a medida que se vaya investigando más.

There are people who may face, for one reason or another, a therapeutic treatment in a language that is not their native language. To date, there is little information on the effect of using a non-native or foreign language in which one is not so proficient, when dealing with certain psychotherapeutic strategies. In this project we approach this question in very specific paradigms. To begin with, we explore the extinction of fear in native and foreign language, subsequently the strategy of cognitive reappraisal in both languages when presenting phobic images, and finally the retrieval and processing of negative past events in both languages as well. The results give us some perspective of the direction that bilingual psychotherapy may take as more research is done.