Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 29, 2026
05:31
Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task
Published on: February 26, 2020
14.5K
Is there a bilingual advantage in the ANT task? Evidence from children
Eneko Antón1, Jon A Duñabeitia1, Adelina Estévez2
1Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain.
Frontiers in Psychology
|May 22, 2014
Summary
This study found no bilingual advantage in children
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Psycholinguistics
Background:
- Bilinguals are often thought to outperform monolinguals on non-linguistic tasks.
- This proposed 'bilingual advantage' is debated, with some attributing it to enhanced executive functions and others to methodological issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the existence of a bilingual advantage in children.
- To examine differences in executive functioning and attention networks between bilingual and monolingual children.
Main Methods:
- A carefully matched sample of 180 bilingual children and 180 monolingual children participated.
- Participants completed a child-friendly version of the Attention Network Test (ANT).
Main Results:
- No significant differences were found between bilingual and monolingual children.
- Performance on the ANT task and attention network indices were statistically indistinguishable between the two groups.
Conclusions:
- The study did not find evidence supporting a general bilingual advantage in children's executive functioning.
- Methodological factors and sample matching are crucial when comparing bilingual and monolingual cognitive performance.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Language and Cognition
878
Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
878
01:22Language Development
1.1K
Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
1.1K
01:28Lateralization
1.3K
Brain lateralization refers to the division of mental processes and functions between the two hemispheres of the brain, a phenomenon that optimizes neural efficiency and underpins complex abilities in humans. This specialization allows each hemisphere to perform tasks where it has a comparative advantage, facilitating more refined cognitive capabilities across different domains.
1.3K