Executive function and bilingualism in young and older adults

Kousaie, Shanna · 2014 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00250

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Summary

This study investigates the "bilingual advantage" hypothesis, which posits that bilingual individuals exhibit superior executive control compared to monolinguals, particularly in older adults. The research aims to clarify inconsistent findings in previous literature by examining both executive function and language performance in a controlled sample of young and older adults. The study specifically compares monolingual anglophones, monolingual francophones, and French/English bilinguals to determine if bilingualism provides a robust cognitive benefit or if previous results were confounded by factors such as immigration status. The researchers recruited non-immigrant participants from Ottawa and Quebec City, matching groups for age, education, and general cognitive function as measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). The sample included young adults (mean age ~21) and older adults (mean age ~71). Participants completed a comprehensive battery of tasks. Executive function was assessed using the Stroop and Simon tasks to measure interference suppression, the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) for response inhibition, the Wisconsin Card Sort Test (WCST) for cognitive flexibility, and the digit span subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale for working memory. Language proficiency and performance were evaluated using the Boston Naming Test (BNT), verbal fluency tasks (letter and category), and an animacy judgment task to objectively measure second-language proficiency. The results did not demonstrate an unequivocal advantage for bilinguals on executive function tasks. While some group differences were observed, they were not consistent with the hypothesis that bilinguals possess superior executive control. For instance, bilinguals did not consistently outperform monolinguals on interference suppression tasks like the Stroop or Simon tasks, nor did they show distinct advantages in response inhibition or working memory. Furthermore, the study did not find a significant bilingual disadvantage on language tasks, such as the BNT or fluency measures, contradicting some prior literature. Instead, the findings suggest that performance differences may be influenced by the specific language environment rather than bilingual status alone. The authors conclude that the evidence for a robust bilingual advantage in executive function is not supported by this well-controlled sample. The lack of clear differences raises questions about the reliability and specificity of previous findings, suggesting that earlier studies may have been influenced by uncontrolled variables like immigration history. The study highlights the need for additional research to fully characterize language group differences, emphasizing that bilingualism does not necessarily confer a general executive function advantage or a language disadvantage in this context.

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• executive function