Executive functions in mono- and bilingual children: Factor structure and relations with fluid intelligence

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• The impact of bilingualism on cognitive abilities, specifically executive functions (EFs) and intelligence, remains a subject of debate.
• Previous research often focused on performance outcomes, neglecting the underlying structural relationships between these cognitive domains.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether the structural organization of EFs and their interrelations with intelligence differ between monolingual and bilingual children.
• To explore the nuanced associations between EFs and fluid intelligence across language groups.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 240 elementary school children (133 monolinguals, 95 bilinguals) aged approximately 8.5 years.
• Performance assessment on tasks measuring working memory, inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and fluid intelligence.
• Confirmatory factor analysis to model the structure of cognitive abilities.

Main Results:

• A single common executive function factor best explained the data in both monolingual and bilingual children, indicating no structural differences in EFs.
• No significant latent performance differences were found in EFs or intelligence between the two language groups.
• A stronger association between the common EF factor and fluid intelligence was observed in bilingual children compared to monolingual children.

Conclusions:

• Bilingualism does not alter the fundamental structure of executive functions or intelligence at this developmental stage.
• The findings suggest a closer integration or coupling of executive functions and fluid intelligence in bilingual children.
• This enhanced coupling may contribute to explaining previously inconsistent findings in bilingualism research, as cognitive interactions can be context-dependent.