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Does Language Distance Modulate the Contribution of Bilingualism to Cognitive Reserve in Seniors? A Systematic Review
Maria Teresa Carthery-Goulart1,2,3, Adam John Privitera1,4, Brendan Stuart Weekes1,5,6
1Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Summary
Bilingual seniors using more distant languages showed better cognitive monitoring. Language distance effects on dementia onset require further research due to limited data.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Linguistics
Background:
- Bilingualism is linked to cognitive reserve, potentially delaying dementia.
- The impact of language distance on cognitive benefits in bilinguals is not fully understood.
Approach:
- A systematic review and meta-regression analyzed studies on bilingual seniors.
- Multiple databases were searched for relevant published research.
- Qualitative and quantitative synthesis methods were employed to address research questions.
Key Points:
- Healthy bilingual seniors with more distant language pairs demonstrated superior monitoring performance on cognitive tasks.
- The study found preliminary evidence suggesting language distance may influence cognitive reserve.
- Data on the effect of language distance on dementia diagnosis age was inconclusive due to limited studies.
Conclusions:
- Greater language distance may enhance cognitive monitoring in bilingual seniors.
- Further research with larger sample sizes is needed to clarify the role of language distance in cognitive aging and dementia.
- Standardized reporting of bilingualism characteristics is crucial for future studies.
Keywords:
Alzheimer’s diseaseagingbilingualismcognitive controlcognitive reservedementiaexecutive functionlanguage distancelanguage similarityMore Related Videos
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