Executive Function in Simultaneous and Sequential Bilingual Children

This study compared two types of cognitive control, inhibition and attentional monitoring, among monolingual English-speaking children (MON), simultaneous Spanish-English bilingual children (SIM), and sequential Spanish-English bilingual children (SEQ). Existing research suggests that bilinguals outperform monolinguals in cognitive control; however no extant research has systematically compared these advantages between bilinguals who differ on age of L2 acquisition. Children's inhibition was assessed using WCST and ANT, and ANT RT indexed attentional monitoring. No differences were found between the three language groups on measures of inhibition, but group differences in monitoring emerged. Children in the SIM group outperformed MON children in monitoring, while the SEQ group's performance was statistically indistinguishable from both the SIM and MON groups. These results provide preliminary evidence that age of second language acquisition may affect the advantage of bilinguals over monolinguals on cognitive tasks

Executive Function in Simultaneous and Sequential Bilingual Children

This study compared two types of cognitive control, inhibition and attentional monitoring, among monolingual English-speaking children (MON), simultaneous Spanish-English bilingual children (SIM), and sequential Spanish-English bilingual children (SEQ). Existing research suggests that bilinguals outperform monolinguals in cognitive control; however no extant research has systematically compared these advantages between bilinguals who differ on age of L2 acquisition. Children's inhibition was assessed using WCST and ANT, and ANT RT indexed attentional monitoring. No differences were found between the three language groups on measures of inhibition, but group differences in monitoring emerged. Children in the SIM group outperformed MON children in monitoring, while the SEQ group's performance was statistically indistinguishable from both the SIM and MON groups. These results provide preliminary evidence that age of second language acquisition may affect the advantage of bilinguals over monolinguals on cognitive tasks

Executive Function Predicts Artificial Language Learning in Children and Adults

Prior research has established an executive function advantage among bilinguals as compared to monolingual peers. These non-linguistic cognitive advantages are largely assumed to result from the experience of managing two linguistic systems. However, the possibility remains that the relationship between bilingualism and executive function is bidirectional such that experience with two languages improves executive functioning, but also, individuals with better executive function skills are improved language learners. The goal of the current studies was to test whether executive function abilities predict novel artificial language learning outcomes among children and adults. An artificial language was used to simulate the processes involved in natural language learning within a controlled laboratory setting. In Study 1, monolingual preschool children's executive function was assessed using the Dimensional Change Card Sort task, a visual Simon task, and the Attention Network Test (ANT). Their performance on these tasks was used to predict their success in acquiring expressive and receptive knowledge of a small artificial language system. Study 2 examined how college-age adults' executive function performance (Wisconsin Card Sort, Simon task, ANT) predicted artificial language learning outcomes. After controlling for working memory and English receptive vocabulary, executive function scores positively predicted children's receptive vocabulary performance and adults' ability to produce labels and sentences in the artificial language system. These findings provide initial evidence suggesting that executive function processes may be employed during the early stages of language learning and support the possibility of a bidirectional relationship between executive function and language acquisition

Attentional Control in Early and Later Bilingual Children

This study examined differences in attentional control among school-age children who were monolingual English speakers, early childhood Spanish-English bilinguals who began speaking both languages by age 3, and later childhood Spanish-English bilingual children who began speaking English after age 3. Children's attentional control was tested using the Attention Network Test (ANT). All language groups performed equally on ANT networks; however, when controlling for age and verbal ability, groups differed significantly on reaction time. Early bilingual children responded faster on the ANT compared to both monolingual and later bilingual children, suggesting an attentional monitoring advantage for early bilinguals. These results add to mounting evidence of advantaged cognitive functioning among bilinguals, and are consistent with the possibility that children who begin speaking a second language earlier in childhood have larger advantages due either to differential effects of acquiring a second language earlier during development or due to longer duration of bilingual experience

Eye Tracking as a Measure of Receptive Vocabulary in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

This study examined the utility of eye tracking research technology to measure speech comprehension in 14 young boys with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and 15 developmentally matched boys with typical development. Using eye tracking research technology, children were tested on individualized sets of known and unknown words, identified based on their performance on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. Children in both groups spent a significantly longer amount of time looking at the target picture when previous testing indicated the word was known (known condition). Children with ASD spent similar amounts of time looking at the target and non-target pictures when previous testing indicated the word was unknown (unknown condition). However, children with typical development looked longer at the target pictures in the unknown condition as well, potentially suggesting emergent vocabulary knowledge