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The impact of late, non-balanced bilingualism on cognitive performance - ScienceDirect
Source: sciencedirect.com
Article summary:
1. Bilingualism can influence cognitive functions, with bilinguals showing a disadvantage in lexical access tasks but an advantage in tests of executive functions.
2. Studies on late-acquisition bilingualism have produced conflicting results, with some finding a bilingual advantage only in early-acquisition bilinguals and others finding it in both early and late-acquisition bilinguals.
3. Late non-balanced bilinguals experience similar cognitive costs and benefits as their early-acquisition balanced counterparts, with a consistent effect being a bilingual advantage on selective attention tasks measuring inhibition of irrelevant stimuli.
Article analysis:
The article titled "The impact of late, non-balanced bilingualism on cognitive performance" explores the effects of bilingualism on cognitive functions, specifically in individuals who acquire their second language in late childhood or adulthood without reaching native-like proficiency. The article provides a comprehensive review of previous research on bilingualism and its impact on cognitive functions, highlighting conflicting results and debates surrounding the specific nature of tasks employed and characteristics of bilingual speakers.
The study conducted by the authors involved non-verbal auditory tests assessing different aspects of attention in university students in their first/initial and fourth/final year, relating cognitive changes to the increase in L2 proficiency. The results suggest that late non-balanced bilinguals experience similar cognitive costs and benefits as their early-acquisition balanced counterparts. A consistent effect across both experiments was a bilingual advantage on ETD, measuring selective attention and inhibition of irrelevant stimuli.
While the article provides valuable insights into the impact of late, non-balanced bilingualism on cognitive performance, there are some potential biases and limitations to consider. Firstly, the sample size is relatively small (N=66), which may limit the generalizability of findings. Additionally, the study only focused on one specific language combination (English-Spanish), which may not be representative of other language combinations.
Furthermore, while the article acknowledges conflicting results from previous studies regarding the impact of multilingualism on cognitive performance, it does not provide a clear explanation for these discrepancies or explore potential factors that may contribute to them. Additionally, there is limited discussion around potential risks or negative impacts associated with bilingualism.
Overall, while this article provides valuable insights into the impact of late non-balanced bilingualism on cognitive performance, it is important to consider potential biases and limitations when interpreting its findings. Further research is needed to explore these issues more comprehensively and to better understand how different factors may influence the relationship between bilingualism and cognitive functions.
Topics for further research:
Factors influencing the impact of bilingualism on cognitive functions
Negative effects of bilingualism on cognitive performance
Differences in cognitive benefits between early and late bilinguals
Impact of multilingualism on cognitive flexibility
Cognitive advantages of balanced bilingualism
Cognitive costs of non-balanced bilingualism