Aims and objectives: This meta-analysis investigated the role of inhibitory control in code-switching comprehension, which remains debated. Method: Systematic searches in Chinese and English databases (2002–2024) identified 23 empirical studies (36 effect sizes) that met PRISMA criteria. All reported switch costs measured by reaction time during comprehension in healthy bilinguals with clear demographic/language information. Hedge’s g was used as the effect size, a random-effects model was applied, and mixed-effects models were employed to examine moderators. Findings: Inhibitory control had a small but significant overall effect on code-switching comprehension. Task input modality and preparation time emerged as significant moderators: the effect was larger for visual than for auditory input, and larger under experimenter-controlled than under participant-controlled preparation time. No significant moderation was found for age, age of acquisition, bilingual type, or switching direction. Originality: This is the first meta-analysis to systematically quantify inhibition control in code-swtching comprehension, moving beyond production-focused work. It uniquely identifies input modality and preparation time as critical task-related moderators and further show that inhibitory engagement in comprehension is modest and reactive rather than proactive. Significance: The findings support the language non-selective access hypothesis and the Inhibitory Control model, while qualifying them by showing that inhibition in comprehension is weaker and more context-dependent than in production. The results reconcile prior contradictory evidence by demonstrating that task design features (modality, timing) strongly determine whether inhibitory effects are observed. These insights refine current theories of bilingual language control and offer methodological guidance for future comprehension-based switching research.
Chang et al. (Fri,) studied this question.