Examining the complexities of decision-making:The connection of risk-taking, working memory, and second-language usage

This study aims to research whether individuals in a foreign language context make safer choices than when operating in their native language. In particular, we intended to analyze the impact of the framing effect, foreign language proficiency, and working memory on the behavior of decision-making. Prospect Theory was employed to measure the level of risk-taking during ambiguous decision-making situations (Asian Disease Problem) depending on the setting of reference points. Eighty-one participants took the English language proficiency test, working memory test, and decision-making tasks. The individual differences in language proficiency were related to reduced risk-taking when operating in the foreign language. A significant main effect of framing and a strong Language-Framing interaction were found; the framing effect was enhanced in Turkish and reduced in English. No main effect of language was found overall. The use of foreign language may alter the cognitive mechanism, although there is no general tendency for risk-aversive decisions. Research with larger and more balanced samples and neurocognitive methods is necessary to uncover the dynamics of decision-making context and its interaction with neural processing.