Adult sequential bilingualism and its impact on executive functions: a study on Russian – English bilinguals
Date
2018
Authors
Safina, Galiya
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Thesis
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Abstract
The prevalence of bilingualism is continuing to increase in populations worldwide. The
literature argues that bilingualism is associated with certain cognitive advantages, specifically in
non-verbal tasks. Previous results consistently demonstrate that bilingual children score higher
on non-verbal tasks when compared to monolingual children that speak the same language. The
current study aimed to examine whether adults’ bilingualism results in enhanced executive
function (EF). Based on prior literature, it was hypothesised that there will be a significant
difference in EF between monolingual and bilingual groups, favouring the bilingual group. A
between-participants design was used to compare performance of Russian-English bilinguals
(age 18-50 yrs, n = 45) with English speaking monolinguals (age 18-50 yrs, n = 49) (total N =
94) on three EFs (inhibition, switch function, and working memory). Participants completed the
tasks in a single test session on a computer. A Mann - Whitney U test was performed to examine
group differences on five computerised psychological tests of EF (Simon Task, Stroop Colour
Word Task, Tower of London Task, Trail-Making Task and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test). The
hypothesis was unsupported by the results, as there was not a significant between-groups
difference on EF apart from on working memory. These findings highlight that bilingualism does
not necessarily lead to improved EF when the second language is learned later in life. The
implications of the findings from the current study, along with suggestions for future research,
are raised in the discussion.
School/Discipline
School of Psychology
Dissertation Note
Thesis (B.PsychSc(Hons)) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2018
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