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ERIC Number: EJ895097
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Sep
Pages: 48
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1367-0050
EISSN: N/A
Cognitive Effects of Bilingualism: Digging Deeper for the Contributions of Language Dominance, Linguistic Knowledge, Socio-Economic Status and Cognitive Abilities
Mueller Gathercole, Virginia C.; Thomas, Enlli Mon; Jones, Leah; Guasch, Nestor Vinas; Young, Nia; Hughes, Emma K.
International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, v13 n5 p617-664 Sep 2010
This study explores the extent to which a bilingual advantage can be observed for executive function tasks in children of varying levels of language dominance, and examines the contributions of general cognitive knowledge, linguistic abilities, language use and socio-economic level to performance. Welsh-English bilingual and English monolingual primary school age and teenage children were tested on two executive function tasks, a tapping task and a Stroop task. Bilingual children came from homes in which only Welsh, Welsh and English, or only English was spoken. Results differed by task. On the tapping task, bilingual children from only Welsh homes showed overall superior performance, monolinguals inferior, with the other two bilingual groups between them. Performance correlated with general cognitive abilities with number and pattern discrimination, as well as, at the older age, with balanced use of the two languages. On the Stroop task, language tested mattered; there were no differences across groups in Welsh, but complex patterns in English. The only strictly bilingual advantage on the Stroop was at the younger age for children from Welsh and English homes when tested in English, and performance was also influenced by SES level, cognitive abilities, vocabulary levels and use of the two languages. (Contains 10 tables and 10 figures.)
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (Wales)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A