Bilingual myth-busting; cognitive benefits refuted
For decades, research reinforced the idea that bilingual or multilingual children developed cognitive advantages over those who speak one language, but new analysis from researchers at Western University in London, Ont., say that simply isn’t true.
“Regrettably, I think, from our review of 25 years of evidence published in the literature, there is in fact that kind of, what we call, confirmatory bias that has crept into this information,” says Professor J Bruce Morton.
Morton and Professor Casandra Lowe, both of Western’s Brain and Mind Institute, spearheaded the research. The findings have now been published in the journal Psychological Science.
Morton says there’s been an over-enthusiastic evaluation of the impacts of learning languages, without considering other factors that improve a child’s ability to learn, “Things like socioeconomic status, the immigration level of the family, the educational background of the parents themselves.”
Morton teamed up with researchers at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, and Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., to critically re-examine documentation that has reinforced the position that languages are able to enhance cognitive ability.
One of the key papers was published in the journal Child Development titled in 1999, Cognitive complexity and attentional control in the bilingual mind.
The paper, which has been cited more than 1,100 times since its publication, claimed that bilingual children are at an advantage when compared to monolinguals based on evidence that Chinese-English bilingual preschoolers outperform English monolingual preschoolers on measures of attention.
According Morton, the problem “is that it is well-known that preschool children from East Asia outperform preschool children from North America on tests of attention. And if you look at the 1999 study, it is obvious that language status and country of origin are perfectly confounded.”
He says when the other factors are accounted for being bilingual has very little impact.
Morton says that shouldn’t diminish the economic or cultural value of being bilingual, especially in country like Canada which has two official languages and a diverse population, adding, “there are more opportunities for gaining employment in the federal government for those children who are proficient in English and French than those who are exclusively monolingual. So why wouldn’t you seek an education for your children in those two languages.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What's a Barnacle? It's yellow, sticks and screams if you try to pry it off your car
Barnacles, bright yellow devices used to make sure parking scofflaws pay their tickets, could soon be making their way to cities across Canada.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.