Bilinguals Are Faster In Task Switching Than Single Language Speakers

A study shows evidence that people who speak more than one language are faster at switching from one task to another than single language speakers because of their cognitive development. The accuracy in completing the tasks by both groups are the same.

Bilingualism or multilingualism is the ability to converse in more than one language. Because of globalization, the internet, and an international economy, the ability to communicate in more than one language is becoming a necessity.

There are two ways that a person can be bilingual (or multilingual), either the second language is learned (as in a class or school) or that the person is immersed in it because of environment, culture, or family ties.

Other studies on the effect of being bilingual have shown that Dual language speakers better able to encode basic language sounds and patterns. Also, studies have shown that bilinguals have a lower risk of dementia than single language speakers.

"Previous studies have established that bilingualism has a beneficial effect on cognitive development in children," explains Dr. Ellen Bialystok from York University. "In our paper, we reviewed recent studies using both behavioral and neuroimaging methods to examine the effects of bilingualism on cognition in adults."

Cognition is a group of mental processes that includes attention, memory, producing and understanding language, learning, reasoning, problem solving, and decision making.

Bilingualism Improves Sensory and Cognitive Functions Such As Focus, Inhibitory Control, and Hearing

Bilingualism or Multilingualism is the use, communication, promotion, and application of two or more languages by an individual or a community.

There are more multilingual people in the world than monolingual (only able to communicate in one language). Because of globalization and cultural integration, people are learning more and more to speak in another language other than their mother tongue.

Persons who are fluent in two or more languages have an enhanced executive function, different organization in some cortical areas, and are better at some aspects of language learning compared to monolinguals.

Bilingualism fine-tunes hearing, enhances attention

Dual language speakers better able to encode basic language sounds and patterns

A Northwestern University study that will be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) provides the first biological evidence that bilinguals' rich experience with language in essence "fine-tunes" their auditory nervous system and helps them juggle linguistic input in ways that enhance attention and working memory.

Northwestern bilingualism expert Viorica Marian teamed up with auditory neuroscientist Nina Kraus to investigate how bilingualism affects the brain. In particular, they looked at subcortical auditory regions that are bathed with input from cognitive brain areas. In extensive research, Kraus has already shown that lifelong music training enhances language processing, and an examination of subcortical auditory regions helped to tell that tale.