Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-29T09:00:57.719Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Balanced bilingualism and executive functioning in children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 August 2015

RACHEL C. WEBER ,
AUDREA JOHNSON ,
CYNTHIA A. RICCIO Open the ORCID record for CYNTHIA A. RICCIO [Opens in a new window]  and
JEFFREY LIEW Open the ORCID record for JEFFREY LIEW [Opens in a new window]
RACHEL C. WEBER*
Affiliation:
University of British Columbia
AUDREA JOHNSON
Affiliation:
Frisco Independent School District
CYNTHIA A. RICCIO
Affiliation:
Texas A&M University
JEFFREY LIEW
Affiliation:
Texas A&M University
*
Address for Correspondence: Rachel C. Weber, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology and Special Education, University of British Columbia, 2125 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6T1Z4[email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The extant research suggests bilingualism is associated with enhanced cognitive effects, most evident in attention and executive functioning (EF). The current study examined the contributions of balance in the bilingualism (Spanish–English) of children to performance-based measures and caregiver ratings of EF. Participants included 30 bilingual children. Balance in children's bilingualism was correlated with caregiver ratings of task initiation. After controlling for demographic variables, balance in bilingualism significantly accounted for 37% of the variance in ratings of children's task initiation. Additional research is needed regarding associations between dual-language exposure, linguistic competence, and cognitive development in children.

Keywords

bilingualismcognitive controlattentionexecutive functioningearly childhood
Type
Research Notes
Information
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition , Volume 19 , Issue 2 , March 2016 , pp. 425 - 431
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adesope, O. O., Lavin, T., Thompson, T., & Ungerleider, C. (2010). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the cognitive correlates of bilingualism. Review of Educational Research, 80, 207–245. doi: 10.3102/0034654310368803 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barac, R., Bialystok, E., Castro, D. C., & Sanchez, M. (2014). The cognitive development of young dual language learners: A critical review. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 29, 699–714. doi: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2014.02.003 Google Scholar
Bialystok, E. (2011). Reshaping the mind: The benefits of bilingualism. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 65, 229–235. doi: 10.1037/a0025406 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bialystok, E., & Barac, R. (2012). Emerging bilingualism: Dissociating advantages for metalinguistic awareness and executive control. Cognition, 122, 67–73. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2011.08.003 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bialystok, E., & Majumder, S. (1998). The relationship between bilingualism and the development of cognitive processes in problem solving. Applied Psycholinguistics, 19, 69–85.Google Scholar
Costa, A., Hernández, M., Costa-Faidella, J., & Sebastián-Gallés, N. (2009). On the bilingual advantage in conflict processing: Now you see it, now you don't. Cognition, 113, 135–149. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2009.08.001 Google Scholar
Dunn, L. M., & Dunn, L. M. (2007). Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Fourth Edition. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.Google Scholar
Dunn, L. M., Padilla, E. R., Lugo, D. E., & Dunn, L. M. (1986). Test de Vocabulario en Imagenes Peabody. Circles Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.Google Scholar
Garratt, L. C., & Kelly, T. P. (2008). To what extent does bilingualism affect children's performance on the NEPSY? Child Neuropsychology, 14, 71–81. doi: 10.1080/09297040701218405 Google Scholar
Gerstadt, C. L., Hong, Y. J., & Diamond, A. (1994). The relationship between cognition and action: Performance of children 3 ½ - 7 years old on a Stroop-like day-night test. Cognition, 53, 129–153.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gioia, G. A., Isquith, P. K., Guy, S. C., & Kenworthy, L. (2000). Behavior rating inventory of executive function. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.Google Scholar
Gioia, G. A., Isquith, P. K., Kenworthy, L., & Barton, R. M. (2002). Profiles of everyday executive function in acquired and developmental disorders. Child Neuropsychology, 8, 121–137.Google Scholar
Green, D. W. (1998). Mental control of the bilingual lexico-semantic system. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 1, 67–81. doi: 10.1017/S1366728998000133 Google Scholar
Heaton, R. K. (1993). Wisconsin Card Sorting Test manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.Google Scholar
Hilchey, M. D., & Klein, R. M. (2011). Are there bilingual advantages on nonlinguistic interference tasks? Implications for the plasticity of executive control processes. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 18, 625–658.Google Scholar
Humphrey, M. M. (1982). Children's avoidance of environmental, simple task internal, and complex task internal distracters. Child Development, 53, 736–745.Google Scholar
Korkman, M., Kirk, U., & Kemp, S. (1998). NEPSY: A Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.Google Scholar
Martin-Rhee, M. M., & Bialystok, E. (2008). The development of two types of inhibitory control in monolingual and bilingual children. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 11, 81 93. doi: 10.1017/S1366728907003227 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miyake, A., Friedman, N. P., Emerson, M. J., Witzki, A. H., Howerter, A., & Wager, T. D. (2000). The unity and diversity of executive functions and their contributions to complex “frontal lobe” tasks: A latent variable analysis. Cognitive Psychology, 41, 49–100. doi: 10.1006/cogp.1999.0734 Google Scholar
Morales, J., Calvo, A., & Bialystok, E. (2013). Working memory development in monolingual and bilingual children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 114, 187–202. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2012.09.002 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Poulin-Dubois, D., Blaye, A., Coutya, J., & Bialystok, E. (2011). The effects of bilingualism on toddlers’ executive functioning. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 108, 567 579. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2010.10.009 Google Scholar
Schneider, W., & Bjroklund, D. F. (1998). Memory. In Damon, W. (Editor-in-Chief) & Kuhn, D. & Siegler, R. S. (Vol. Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol 2. Cognition, perception, and language (5th ed., pp. 467–521). New York: John Wiley and Sons.Google Scholar
Schwanenflugel, P. J., Fabricius, W. V., & Alexander, J. (1994). Developing theories of mind: Understanding concepts and relations between mental activities. Child Development, 6, 1546–1563.Google Scholar
Soliman, A. M. (2014). Bilingual advantages in working memory revisited: A latent variable examination. Learning and Individual Differences, 32, 168–177.Google Scholar
Vega, C., & Fernandez, M. (2011). Errors on the WCST correlate with language proficiency scores in Spanish–English bilingual children. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 26, 158–164.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Videsott, G., Della Rosa, P. A., Wiater, W., Franceschini, R., & Abutalebi, J. (2012). How does linguistic competence enhance cognitive functions in children? A study in multilingual children with different linguistic competences. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 15, 884–895. doi: 10.1017/S136672891200119 Google Scholar