Bilingualism and creativity across development: Evidence from divergent thinking and convergent thinking

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Bilingualism is linked to creativity benefits, particularly divergent thinking.
• No prior research explored bilingualism's impact on convergent thinking or its neural basis in youth.
• This study investigates bilingualism's effect on convergent and divergent thinking and associated brain structures in children and adolescents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how bilingualism influences convergent and divergent thinking in children and adolescents.
• To identify potential brain structural correlates of bilingualism's effect on creativity using neuroimaging.
• To explore developmental changes in the relationship between bilingualism, thinking skills, and brain structure.

Main Methods:

• Neuropsychological assessments of convergent thinking, divergent thinking, and fluid intelligence were administered.
• Whole-brain analysis of regional gray matter volume (rGMV) and cortical thickness was performed using VBM and SBM.
• Structural imaging data from 75 healthy children and adolescents (aged 4-18) were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Bilingualism significantly benefited convergent thinking, but not divergent thinking, in children and adolescents.
• The advantage of bilingualism for convergent thinking decreased with age.
• No significant correlation was found between regional gray matter volume and either thinking skill or bilingualism.
• Cortical thickness in the right supplementary motor area (SMA) was negatively correlated with convergent thinking scores.

Conclusions:

• Bilingualism may independently enhance convergent thinking abilities in youth.
• Cortical thinness in the right SMA might be associated with higher convergent thinking skills.
• The findings suggest distinct developmental pathways for convergent and divergent thinking in bilingual individuals.