Research has also shown a positive correlation between bilingualism and cognitive development, especially executive function. Bilingualism supports skills that are specific to executive function: careful attention to the target language, suppressing the non-target language and effectively switching between languages.
Bilingual people show increased activation in the brain region associated with cognitive skills like attention and inhibition. For example, bilinguals are proven to be better than monolinguals in encoding the fundamental frequency of sounds in the presence of background noise.
On the other hand, some of the disadvantages of bilingualism are an apparent delay in language acquisition; interference between the two phonological, lexical, and grammatical systems; and a possible decrease in vocabulary in both languages.
Being multilingual or bilingual often helps children learn at school because it helps them with problem-solving, multitasking, creativity and flexible thinking. These children can also have good focus.
When viewed language and mind as a whole system, it is evident that the functions of language are part of the brain system at the same time as being involved in the workings of the mind. Moreover, information is exchanged between language and each of perception, memory, and consciousness in both directions.
Cognition involves language, imagination, thinking, reasoning, problem solving and memory. Our cognitive skills help us organize what we know and generalize that knowledge into other areas. Language Development is learning and processing language through reading, writing and speaking (oral).
Through language, children make sense of experiences and the world around them. In fact, language is the foundation for most learning—whether it is factual knowledge, social skills, moral development, or physical achievement.
Research has also shown a positive correlation between bilingualism and cognitive development, especially executive function. Bilingualism supports skills that are specific to executive function: careful attention to the target language, suppressing the non-target language and effectively switching between languages.
Bilingual children may have a superior ability to focus on one thing and change their response, easily indicating “cognitive flexibility.” Both traits require self-control, a very desirable trait in the early childhood classroom as well as life.
Research has found that babies raised in bilingual households show better self-control,8 a key indicator of school success. Bilingual and biliterate individuals have the opportunity to participate in the global community in more ways, get information from more places, and learn more about people from other cultures.
This theory was developed by Jim Cummins, in the early 1980's. It stated that the two languages used by an individual, though on the surface apparently separate, function through the same central cognitive system. This was first put forward by Toukomaa and Skutnabb-Kangas in 1977.
Bilingual learning has been shown to be associated with higher cognitive flexibility (Bialystok and Senman, 2004). Cognitive flexibility refers to an individual's ability to switch between different task states and mental stereotypes (Miyake et al., 2000).
It has been suggested that early lifelong bilingualism affects the structure of white matter (WM) of the brain and preserves its integrity in older age. Here we show that similar WM effects are also found in bilingual individuals who learn their second language (L2) later in life and are active users of both languages.
Being bilingual can improve a person's multitasking skills, attention control, problem solving and creativity as it promotes outside-the-box thinking. It can also help improve your memory – handy when shopping and remembering people's names!
Cognitive differences
Bilinguals may be able to inhibit irrelevant verbal and nonverbal information with greater ease than monolinguals. Inhibitory control ability is slower to decline with age in bilinguals than in monolinguals. The average age of dementia onset is later in bilinguals than in monolinguals.
According to a historical review in "The Journal of Genetic Psychology," various researchers held these beliefs, noting a "problem of bilingualism" or the "handicapping influence of bilingualism." Following studies reported that bilinguals performed worse in IQ tests and suffered in most aspects of language development ...
Another study used bilingualism, rather than education, as a measure of cognitive reserve to examine the impact on CSF biomarkers but found no differences between cognitively normal monolinguals and bilinguals in CSF Aβ levels.
Lev Vygotsky emphasized that the acquisition of speech is the major activity in cognitive development. He believed by acquiring language, the child modifies its higher mental functions. Vygotsky stresses the impact of language on cognitive development.
The cognitive theory of language acquisition is based on the aspect that a child develops language as he develops intellect. The inherent theory focuses on the innate aspects of the brain that allows children to formulate verbal processes.
Cognitive communication difficulties occur when one or more of these mental processes are affected. As an example, a person with reduced attention may not know to listen when someone is talking to them. Therefore they may appear to not understand or not be interested in conversation.
Language is critical to cognitive development by providing the words that a child needs to process information. Emotional development depends on effective emotional expression using language. A child's social development can be impeded by a language disability by creating difficulties communicating with peers.
Language learning helps improve people's thinking skills and memory abilities. Bilingual students concentrate better, ignoring distractions more effectively than those who only speak one language.