Language: Speaking and thinking

In 1964 Susan Ervin-Tripp (Ervin-Tripp, 1964) conducted an intriguing study on Japanese women who had married American soldiers after World War II. It involved a sentence completion task in which the women responded to open-ended questions. The interesting manipulation was that the women answered each question twice; once in English and once in Japanese. Here are some examples:

“When my wishes conflict with my family…

J

It is a time of great unhappiness”

A

I do what I want”