Fig. 1

Experimental logic flowchart. The experiments used Behavioral methods (a) and Event-related potential (ERP) technology (b). The dark gray experimental box represents the core verification group for the cognitive control hypothesis, while the light gray box reflects the follow-up study on the results of Exp2. The arrows indicate the progressive relationship between experiments, with dashed arrows representing exploratory paths triggered by unexpected findings. Experiments 1–3 validate the cognitive control hypothesis through behavioral methods, where Exp2 reveals a significant MARC effect, inconsistent with the Language Link Strengthening Hypothesis. To address this, a dashed arrow leads to Exp4, introducing an additional test of the moderating effect of language association. Exp5 employs ERP technology, utilizing P300 component analysis to reveal the impact of cognitive control neural mechanisms on the above interactions