The Influence of Bilingualism on Personality: Psychological and Pedagogical Studies of Foreign Scientists

Since the first half of the 20th century, the question of whether bilingualism affects the individual has become a topic of major scientific research. The purpose of this article is to show the directions of research on this problem. In answering this question, the studies were divided into two main periods: positive and negative attitudes towards bilingualism. The authors conducted a meta-analysis of published studies on the impact of bilingualism on personal development: at the first stage of the analysis, they reviewed the abstracts of conferences on this topic for the period from the second half of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century, and at the second stage, they determined which of these studies were subsequently published. Preferably, studies with the results that fully support the theory of bilingual advantage were published. The practical significance of this work consists in the fact that it presents modern research by foreign scientists on bilingualism. The reasons for two contradictory views of researchers on the problem of bilingualism are analyzed. In the future, the article can help build modern ideas about bilingualism and bilingual personality.

Effects of third-language learning on inhibitory control with consideration of task complexity and language proficiency

Aims and Objectives: The present study explores the question of whether learning a third language (L3) in an English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom setting induces improved inhibitory control compared with that found in bilinguals, considering task complexity and language proficiency. Methodology: Thirty-six Chinese–English second language (L2) young adult learners and 121 Chinese–English–Japanese/French/Russian/German L3 young adult learners with three levels of L3 proficiency participated in the study. Simon arrow tasks were employed to measure two types of inhibitory control: response inhibition (the less complex task with univalent stimuli) and interference suppression (the more complex task with bivalent stimuli). Data and Analysis: Statistics using ANOVAs and multiple comparisons were employed to analyze the effects of L3 learning on the reaction time and accuracy for response inhibition and interference suppression, respectively. Findings: The results demonstrated that L3 learners did not outperform L2 learners in the two types of inhibitory control: response inhibition (less complex) and interference suppression (more complex). Moreover, L3 learners with a higher proficiency did not display better inhibitory control than those with a lower proficiency in response inhibition and interference suppression. However, as the L3 proficiency increased, some specific aspects of inhibitory control did improve and exhibited a nonlinear pattern. Originality: The present study extends bilingual advantage in inhibitory control to formal L3 learning, exploring whether bilingual advantage in inhibitory control also appears in L3 learners, considering task complexity and language proficiency. Significance/implications: The present study contributes to the theory of the relationship between multilingualism and inhibitory control by showing that this relationship may be more complex than it is understood currently. Learning an additional language to L2, particularly short-term learning, may not lead to an incremental advantage in overall inhibitory control. However, as learning time increases, changes may appear in specific aspects of inhibitory control, and may be a nonlinear one.

Effect of bilingualism on infants’ cognitive flexibility

Research suggests that bilinguals often outperform monolinguals on tasks that tap into executive functions, such as those requiring conflict resolution and cognitive flexibility. Recently, better attentional control has been detected in infants as young as 6 months, thereby providing a possible basis for a cognitive benefit before language production. The goal of the present study was to examine if cognitive flexibility is more advanced in bilingual infants. A detour reaching task assessing conflict resolution, a delayed response task assessing shifting, and a multiple location task assessing maintaining, were administered to 17-month-old infants. The main findings revealed that being bilingual did not improve performance on any of the executive function tasks. Furthermore, current exposure to a second language or language proficiency did not impact executive functioning. We conclude that a bilingual advantage in cognitive flexibility may not be present before children have enough experience in code switching.

Protocol for a Scoping Review of Research Practices in the Investigation of Bilingual Effects on Inhibition and Attentional Function in Young People

Background: While there is evidence in support of a bilingual advantage in executive function in children and adults, little work supports these effects in young people. This lack of support may result as consequence of a developmental ceiling effect on task performance in this age group. An alternative explanation can be found in the treatment of bilingualism as a categorical variable, and the use of exclusively fixed-effects methods of analysis. These methods treat bilinguals as a homogenous group, ignoring nontrivial differences between participants, and may contribute to this lack of evidence. This scoping review aims is to identify and summarize research practices in the investigation of bilingual effects in inhibition and attentional function in young people. Methods: The proposed scoping review will follow the five-stage framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley (2005). Searches will be conducted across five databases using inclusive search strings. Study selection will follow the guidance of the PRISMA-ScR checklist. This review will include both published and unpublished work. A standardized data extraction spreadsheet will be used and data will be presented in tabular and graphic format in alignment with the objectives of the review. Discussion: This review aims to provide a current understanding of research practices in the investigation of bilingual effects in young people as well as identify gaps in the literature. This review may also draw attention to methodological trends in the current literature that limit the conclusions researchers can draw.

BILINGUAL EFFECT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTION

The article presents the results of a theoretical review, the purpose of which is to highlight the problem of the influence of bilingualism on the development of executive function change in modern research. The analysis of this problem points to the differentiated contribution of bilingualism to the functioning of such cognitive processes as inhibition, working memory and shifting. The problem is that the established term "bilingual advantage", describing the influence of bilingualism on the development of mental structures, is not correct, since the authors note both positive and negative consequences of bilingualism reflected in child development. As a result, researchers have adopted the concept of "bilingual effect", which allows for various options for the impact of bilingualism on the development of cognitive structures. This article urges to indicate the limitations in modern studies of bilinguals, is aimed at finding prospects for further study of this problem.

Do bilinguals outperform monolinguals in switching tasks? Contrary evidence for nonlinguistic and linguistic switching tasks

The benefits of bilingualism in executive functions are highly debated. Even so, in switching tasks, these effects seem robust, although smaller than initially thought (Gunnerud et al., 2020; Ware et al., 2020). By handling two languages throughout their lifespan, bilinguals appear to train their executive functions and show benefits in nonlinguistic switching tasks compared to monolinguals. Nevertheless, because bilinguals need to control for the interference of another language, they may show a disadvantage when dealing with task-switching paradigms requiring language control, particularly when those are performed in their less dominant language. The present work explored this issue by studying bilingualism’s effects on task-switching within the visual and language domains. On the one hand, our results show that bilinguals were overall faster and presented reduced switch costs compared to monolinguals when performing perceptual geometric judgments with no time for task preparation. On the other hand, no bilingual advantage was found when a new sample of comparable bilinguals and monolinguals completed a within-language switching task. Our results provide clear evidence favoring the bilingual advantage, yet only when the task imposes greater executive demands and does not involve language control.

A GENERAL OVERVIEW ON THE EFFECT OF BILINGUALISM ON EXECUTIVE FUNCTION SKILLS IN CHILDREN: INCONSISTENT RESULTS AND MODERATOR FACTORS

In this study, we reviewed recent studies comparing executive function performance of bi and monolingual children. In that respect, we came across 27 studies. Most of these studies report “partial” executive function advantage for bilingual children (i.e., a bilingual advantage is reported only for some tasks within the same study). In this regard, we examined in detail whether the executive function advantage in bilingual children is general or this advantage appears only in specific executive function tasks. Upon this evaluation, we observed that the bilingual advantage is not specific to a particular executive function paradigm or executive function task classification. To better explain these inconsistencies, we assessed and discussed the moderator factors (i.e., second language age of acquisition, language proficiency, language exposure, language interactional context, minority status, and socioeconomic status) that potentially could affect the outcome of studies examining the executive function skills of bilingual children. We concluded that the bilingual advantage on executive functions is linked to the general executive function system rather than a single executive function task; however, these effects cannot consistently be demonstrated due to the ignored moderator factors. Thus, to obtain more precise results, we offered suggestions for future studies that will compare bi and monolingual children on executive function performance. Keywords Bilingualism, childhood period, executive functions

Bilingualism, executive function, and the brain: Implications for autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with marked heterogeneity with respect to the development of executive function abilities. The ‘bilingual advantage’ refers to the observation that individuals who speak two languages perform better on executive function tasks than monolinguals under some circumstances. There is not yet consensus, however, as to whether this advantage can be reliably demonstrated, nor is there consensus regarding under which conditions it emerges. Bilingual and monolingual children with ASD have comparable developmental outcomes, particularly in the areas of core ASD symptoms, cognitive function, and language. Still, despite the potential advantages that bilingualism may confer, clinicians commonly advise against providing a bilingual environment for children with ASD. The purpose of the present review is to provide an up-to-date assessment of the limited literature on bilingualism in children with ASD in order to inform evidence-based practice. Studies suggest a potential bilingual advantage in ASD in the areas of nonverbal intelligence quotient, adaptive functioning, and expressive vocabulary. A limited yet growing literature provides preliminary evidence for enhanced executive function ability in some children with ASD. Taken together, current evidence suggests that although a ‘bilingual advantage’ may not be universally present in typical development, it may manifest under specific circumstances, conferring advantage for populations in which executive function is compromised. Further work is needed to develop consistent, evidence-based guidelines around language recommendations for families of children with ASD and to better understand the cognitive and brain mechanisms giving rise to the bilingual advantage in clinical developmental populations.