Imagine solving a math equation and then immediately reading a complex sentence. Could the structure of the math problem actually affect how you understand the sentence that follows? That is the question behind PRISM—Priming Relationships In Syntax and Mathematics—a project exploring possible connections between math and language processing in the bilingual brain. The research is led by Michelle Zhu, the mastermind behind the project, whose innovative approach bridges mathematical reasoning with syntactic processing.

We already know that both math and language rely on structured thinking. But what happens when these two systems interact—especially in bilingual individuals who regularly move between languages with different grammatical structures?

Here’s the idea. In both math and language, our brains decide where to “attach” new information. For example, in the sentence “The brother of the doctor who was tired…”—was it the brother or the doctor who was tired? That’s a structural decision known as high or low attachment. A similar kind of structural thinking happens in math equations, and some research with English speakers suggests that solving a particular type of math problem may bias how we interpret sentences right afterward.

So how might this work in bilinguals?

That’s what we’re investigating. PRISM focuses on Spanish-English bilinguals—speakers of two languages that often differ in structural attachment preferences. Spanish tends to favor high attachment, while English leans toward low attachment. This raises key questions: Can bilinguals transfer structural preferences from one language to another? Does language proficiency shape how math affects language processing?

To explore this, we’re working with:

• English monolinguals

• Spanish monolinguals

• Spanish-English bilinguals with varying levels of English proficiency:

  • BICS (conversational fluency)

  • CALP (academic fluency)

Our research includes two phases:

• Behavioral Study: Participants interpret ambiguous sentences, some of which follow math problems to test for structural priming.

• EEG Study: We use brain activity measures to examine how mathematical structure may influence cognitive effort during sentence comprehension.

We’re currently analyzing how these different groups respond to mismatches between math and language structure. Our goal is to better understand how bilingual brains use structure across domains—and whether bilinguals rely on different strategies depending on their language experience.

Why does this matter?

If language structure influences math comprehension (and vice versa), this could have real implications for bilingual education. Supporting structural thinking across subjects could strengthen learning for students navigating multiple languages.

That’s the goal of PRISM: to shed light on how bilingual minds might bridge the worlds of numbers and words.

---