{"id":1574,"date":"2021-01-12T14:58:01","date_gmt":"2021-01-12T14:58:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=1574"},"modified":"2021-01-12T14:58:01","modified_gmt":"2021-01-12T14:58:01","slug":"studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1574\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Studies into bilingual cognition could help improve language learning"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n

Bilingual people can effortlessly switch between languages during everyday interactions. But beyond its usefulness in communication, being bilingual could affect how the brain works and enhance certain abilities. Studies into this could inform techniques for learning languages and other skills.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n

More than half of people in Europe speak more than one language<\/a>\u00a0while the same is true worldwide.<\/p>\n

Switching\u00a0between languages can be thought of as a form of mental exercise where attention is focussed on the relevant language while intrusions from the second language are suppressed.\u00a0\u2018There is a lot of research that shows that when bilinguals speak in one of their languages, the other language is still active,\u2019\u00a0said\u00a0Dr\u00a0Kyriakos Antoniou<\/a>, a psycholinguist at the University of Cyprus.<\/p>\n

The ability to speak more than one language is therefore thought to influence skills and processes used by our brain to acquire knowledge and make sense of our surroundings, known as cognition. This includes mental capacities such as attention, reasoning, judgment and problem solving.<\/p>\n

It could also\u00a0enhance\u00a0metacognition \u2013 the awareness, monitoring and assessment of one\u2019s own knowledge and mental processes, which comes into play when expressing an opinion or making a decision, for example.\u00a0\u2018Every time a person makes a decision, he or she evaluates how good the decision is and the likelihood of making an error,\u2019\u00a0said Dr\u00a0Leona Polyanskaya<\/a>, a research fellow at the Basque\u00a0Center\u00a0on Cognition, Brain and Language in San Sebasti\u00e1n, Spain.<\/p>\n

A person with good metacognitive abilities will be confident in their response when they are correct, for example, and less sure of themselves when they give a wrong answer. Conversely, someone with poor metacognitive skills may be equally confident in their response when they are correct and when they are wrong.\u00a0\u2018Monitoring (abilities) and cognitive performance do not have to be correlated,\u2019\u00a0said Dr Polyanskaya.<\/p>\n

\u2018<\/span><\/span>There is a lot of research that shows that when bilinguals speak in one of their languages, the other language is still active<\/span><\/span>.\u2019<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

–Dr Kyriakos Antoniou, University of Cyprus<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Executive control\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A growing number of researchers are now investigating the relationship between bilingualism and different aspects of cognition. Dr Antoniou and his colleagues are particularly interested in executive control, which includes three cognitive skills that are needed when you have to concentrate or pay attention to something.<\/p>\n

Inhibition, the ability to supress irrelevant information, is one of them, while working memory, which involves both storing and manipulating information at the same time, plays a role too. Cognitive flexibility is also involved, the ability to smoothly switch from one task to another.\u00a0\u2018What has been suggested is that the (brain\u2019s) executive control system is needed for bilinguals in order to manage two linguistic systems,\u2019\u00a0said Dr Antoniou.<\/p>\n

The team looked at whether speaking more than one language had a positive influence on executive control compared to being monolingual as part of the\u00a0NeuroBid\u00a0<\/a>project. So far, previous research findings have been mixed.<\/p>\n

They also wanted to see whether there was a similar effect with people who speak two different dialects.\u00a0\u2018By examining the effect of bidialectalism, you also examine whether speaking two very closely-related languages plays a role because dialects are as close as it gets,\u2019\u00a0said Dr Antoniou.<\/p>\n

The researchers conducted experiments which compared executive control skills in\u00a0bidialectals\u00a0who spoke Cypriot Greek and modern Greek, multilinguals who spoke the same two dialects and one additional language and monolinguals who spoke modern Greek. Participants completed game-like tasks on a computer that tapped into all three mental skills that make up executive control, such as\u00a0a\u00a0classic cognitive test\u00a0that uses reaction times to symbols\u00a0to assess inhibition<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Edge\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr Antoniou and his team found that multilinguals performed better than monolinguals when they combined each participant\u2019s results from all the different tests.\u00a0Bidialectals\u00a0also achieved better results compared to monolinguals, suggesting that language similarity isn\u2019t a confounding factor. However,\u00a0speakers of more than one language or dialect\u00a0only had an edge in overall executive control.\u00a0\u2018The advantage was not evident in measures that tapped into specific components of the executive control system,\u2019\u00a0said Dr Antoniou.<\/p>\n

Different theories have emerged from previous research to explain why multilinguals may have better executive control. Some work suggests they have an advantage for certain cognitive skills such as inhibition, where they have perfected blocking out information that isn\u2019t important thanks to their experience with several linguistic systems. Another theory is that speaking more than one language has an overarching effect on executive control, influencing the coordination of different components, for example, but it doesn\u2019t affect the specific skills that are part of it.\u00a0\u2018We take our findings as providing support to the latter theory,\u2019\u00a0said Dr Antoniou.<\/p>\n

The team\u2019s results could\u00a0also\u00a0change\u00a0misconceptions about\u00a0people who speak two dialects.\u00a0Standard forms of a language have traditionally been taught at school,\u00a0where the\u00a0inclusion of regional dialects is\u00a0usually discouraged<\/a>\u00a0and stigmatised.\u00a0Students are\u00a0therefore assessed in their non-dominant dialect which can affect their performance.\u00a0\u2018In various countries\u00a0(around the world),\u00a0bidialectal children might be found to underperform in school, and the blame is often put on their intelligence or on their cognitive skills,\u2019\u00a0said Dr Antoniou.\u00a0\u2018I think (our work) has implications in terms of refuting negative stereotypes that are associated with\u00a0bidialectals.\u2019<\/p>\n

Metacognition\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bilingualism could also influence metacognition,\u00a0but few studies have been conducted so far. The process of acquiring two languages at once has been found\u00a0to\u00a0hone mental abilities that help a person remember patterns\u00a0and structures\u00a0in a language<\/a>\u00a0and across languages. It may therefore also affect metacognitive abilities when it comes to being aware of what has been learned and how well a task has been mastered.<\/p>\n

To test this hypothesis, Dr Polyanskaya and her colleagues investigated how bilingualism influences metacognition in both linguistic and non-linguistic tasks for the first time as part of the\u00a0MetaBil\u00a0<\/a>project.<\/p>\n

They also looked at whether metacognitive abilities varied across tasks involving visuals and sounds.\u00a0\u2018We’re interested in how bilingualism affects metacognition across perception modalities,\u2019\u00a0said Dr Polyanskaya.<\/p>\n

The team conducted experiments with bilinguals, who spoke Basque and Spanish, and monolinguals who spoke Spanish. For the linguistic tasks, participants had to learn an artificial language either by listening to words or reading them on a computer screen. Non-linguistic tasks involved fractal images or sequences of sounds where they had to learn to recognise underlying patterns. They were also asked to gauge how certain they were of their responses. In other experiments,\u00a0electroencephalogram\u00a0(EEG) tests were conducted to track brain activity while participants completed similar tasks.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
In experiments, bilingual and monolingual people were tested on pattern recognition in fractal images and asked how certain they were of their response. Image from: Ordin, M., Polyanskaya, L. and A. G. Samuel. 2020. An evolutionary account of intermodality differences in statistical learning. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci.. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/nyas.14502.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dr Polyanskaya and her colleagues found that bilinguals were better at gauging their performance in linguistic tasks compared to monolinguals. EEG evidence also suggests that\u00a0their metacognitive abilities were enhanced\u00a0in tasks unrelated to language. However, enhanced metacognition wasn\u2019t apparent when the team looked at the performance of bilinguals in non-linguistic behavioural tests, says Dr Polyanskaya.<\/p>\n

The team isn\u2019t sure why that might be the case. But the MetaBil project is just a first step and there are several factors they would like to investigate further. For example, there is a wide variety of linguistic abilities among bilinguals, where some are equally proficient in both languages, while others can\u2019t read or write in one of them or use one language at home and another at work.\u00a0\u2018We do not know which of these factors are important for metacognition,\u2019\u00a0said Dr Polyanskaya. \u2018There are many open questions.\u2019<\/p>\n

In follow-up work, she will be looking at a component of metacognition called metacontrol which is the ability to evaluate one\u2019s own skills and knowledge for future decision-making.<\/p>\n

Dr Polyanskaya will be examining whether efficient metacontrol in language tasks is related to\u00a0bilingualism, for example. If so, techniques could be developed to boost metacognition so that people could better learn new languages or possibly other skills as well. \u2018It opens the door for using the results in education,\u2019 said Dr Polyanskaya. \u2018I’m interested in the practical implementation of metacognitive enhancement.\u2019<\/p>\n

The research in this article was funded by the EU.\u00a0If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.<\/em><\/p>\n

Originally published on Horizon magazine<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bilingual people can effortlessly switch between languages during everyday interactions. But beyond its usefulness in communication, being bilingual could affect how the brain works and enhance certain abilities. Studies into this could inform techniques for learning languages and other skills.\u00a0 More than half of people in Europe speak more than one language\u00a0while the same is … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":318,"featured_media":1575,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,118],"tags":[114,224],"class_list":["post-1574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brain-behavior","category-social-sciences","tag-education","tag-language"],"yoast_head":"\nStudies into bilingual cognition could help improve language learning - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1574\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Studies into bilingual cognition could help improve language learning\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bilingual people can effortlessly switch between languages during everyday interactions. But beyond its usefulness in communication, being bilingual could affect how the brain works and enhance certain abilities. Studies into this could inform techniques for learning languages and other skills.\u00a0 More than half of people in Europe speak more than one language\u00a0while the same is ... Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1574\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Horizon Magazine Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-01-12T14:58:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/01\/jessica-lewis-8T-lK9FkzyI-unsplash-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sandrine Ceurstemont\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sandrine Ceurstemont\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1574\\\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1574\\\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sandrine Ceurstemont\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/62926b1f1e18de0f2413a0479d6f2899\"},\"headline\":\"Studies into bilingual cognition could help improve language learning\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-12T14:58:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1574\\\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1430,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1574\\\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2021\\\/01\\\/jessica-lewis-8T-lK9FkzyI-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"education\",\"language\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Brain & Behavior\",\"Social Sciences\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2021\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1574\\\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1574\\\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\\\/\",\"name\":\"Studies into bilingual cognition could help improve language learning - Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1574\\\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1574\\\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2021\\\/01\\\/jessica-lewis-8T-lK9FkzyI-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-12T14:58:01+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1574\\\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1574\\\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1574\\\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2021\\\/01\\\/jessica-lewis-8T-lK9FkzyI-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2021\\\/01\\\/jessica-lewis-8T-lK9FkzyI-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"In one experiment, people who spoke more than one language or dialect demonstrated greater executive control abilities - which include inhibition, working memory and cognitive flexibility - than monolinguals. Image credit - Jessica Lewis\\\/Unsplash\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1574\\\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Studies into bilingual cognition could help improve language learning\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"description\":\"The EU Research & Innovation Magazine\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/eu-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/eu-logo.jpg\",\"width\":601,\"height\":283,\"caption\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/62926b1f1e18de0f2413a0479d6f2899\",\"name\":\"Sandrine Ceurstemont\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f9d88a5b9c99d2b9bd5d4742410845a80902fbe94125c2b74f4dddf70327ad55?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f9d88a5b9c99d2b9bd5d4742410845a80902fbe94125c2b74f4dddf70327ad55?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f9d88a5b9c99d2b9bd5d4742410845a80902fbe94125c2b74f4dddf70327ad55?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Sandrine Ceurstemont\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/author\\\/sandrineceurstemont\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Studies into bilingual cognition could help improve language learning - Horizon Magazine Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1574\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Studies into bilingual cognition could help improve language learning","og_description":"Bilingual people can effortlessly switch between languages during everyday interactions. But beyond its usefulness in communication, being bilingual could affect how the brain works and enhance certain abilities. Studies into this could inform techniques for learning languages and other skills.\u00a0 More than half of people in Europe speak more than one language\u00a0while the same is ... Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1574\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\/","og_site_name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","article_published_time":"2021-01-12T14:58:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/01\/jessica-lewis-8T-lK9FkzyI-unsplash-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Sandrine Ceurstemont","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sandrine Ceurstemont","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1574\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1574\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\/"},"author":{"name":"Sandrine Ceurstemont","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/person\/62926b1f1e18de0f2413a0479d6f2899"},"headline":"Studies into bilingual cognition could help improve language learning","datePublished":"2021-01-12T14:58:01+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1574\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\/"},"wordCount":1430,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1574\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/01\/jessica-lewis-8T-lK9FkzyI-unsplash-scaled.jpg","keywords":["education","language"],"articleSection":["Brain & Behavior","Social Sciences"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2021","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1574\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1574\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\/","name":"Studies into bilingual cognition could help improve language learning - Horizon Magazine Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1574\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1574\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/01\/jessica-lewis-8T-lK9FkzyI-unsplash-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2021-01-12T14:58:01+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1574\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1574\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1574\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/01\/jessica-lewis-8T-lK9FkzyI-unsplash-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/01\/jessica-lewis-8T-lK9FkzyI-unsplash-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"In one experiment, people who spoke more than one language or dialect demonstrated greater executive control abilities - which include inhibition, working memory and cognitive flexibility - than monolinguals. Image credit - Jessica Lewis\/Unsplash"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1574\/studies-into-bilingual-cognition-could-help-improve-language-learning\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Studies into bilingual cognition could help improve language learning"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#website","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/","name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","description":"The EU Research & Innovation Magazine","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization","name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/eu-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/eu-logo.jpg","width":601,"height":283,"caption":"Horizon Magazine Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/person\/62926b1f1e18de0f2413a0479d6f2899","name":"Sandrine Ceurstemont","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f9d88a5b9c99d2b9bd5d4742410845a80902fbe94125c2b74f4dddf70327ad55?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f9d88a5b9c99d2b9bd5d4742410845a80902fbe94125c2b74f4dddf70327ad55?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f9d88a5b9c99d2b9bd5d4742410845a80902fbe94125c2b74f4dddf70327ad55?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Sandrine Ceurstemont"},"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/author\/sandrineceurstemont\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/01\/jessica-lewis-8T-lK9FkzyI-unsplash-scaled.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgtNKV-po","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":638,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/638\/claims-that-bilingualism-keeps-brains-young-could-be-wishful-thinking\/","url_meta":{"origin":1574,"position":0},"title":"Claims that bilingualism keeps brains young could be \u2018wishful thinking\u2019","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"January 16, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"By Vittoria D'Alessio Speaking two languages is a highly valuable skill but is an unlikely defence against age-related cognitive decline as previously thought, according to new research on ageing and bilingualism. Scientists from the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour at Radboud University in the Netherlands have been studying\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"language\"","block_context":{"text":"language","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/tag\/language\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Image credit - Pexels, licensed under CC0","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/01\/people-old-chatting.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/01\/people-old-chatting.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/01\/people-old-chatting.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/01\/people-old-chatting.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/01\/people-old-chatting.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/01\/people-old-chatting.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":658,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/658\/why-are-children-so-good-at-learning-languages\/","url_meta":{"origin":1574,"position":1},"title":"Why are children so good at learning languages?","author":"Joanna Roberts","date":"January 31, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"When it comes to learning languages small children beat machines hands down, even though they are exposed to only a fraction of the vocabulary fed into algorithms. So what exactly makes them so good? In 2003,\u00a0an influential study\u00a0showed that children from rich families were exposed to around 30 million more\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Brain & Behavior"","block_context":{"text":"Brain & Behavior","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/brain-behavior\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Image Credit - Pixabay License","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/01\/childlanguage.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/01\/childlanguage.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/01\/childlanguage.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/01\/childlanguage.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/01\/childlanguage.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/01\/childlanguage.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":899,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/899\/link-between-music-and-speech-rhythm-in-brain-could-provide-language-insight\/","url_meta":{"origin":1574,"position":2},"title":"Link between music and speech rhythm in brain could provide language insight","author":"Sandrine Ceurstemont","date":"July 29, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Neuroscientist Dr Domenica Bueti often plays an altered version of the classic aria\u00a0La donna \u00e8 mobile\u00a0when she gives talks about the importance of time perception. Her friend\u2019s piano rendition of Giuseppe Verdi\u2019s composition uses the same notes but is played at different speeds. Rarely does anyone ever identify the tune.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Brain & Behavior"","block_context":{"text":"Brain & Behavior","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/brain-behavior\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"When a piece of music is played at the wrong tempo it is difficult to recognise because our brain uses rhythm to help make sense of sounds. Image credit - flickr\/ Brian Richardson, licensed under CC BY 2.0","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/4148739768_0336167f0a_o.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/4148739768_0336167f0a_o.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/4148739768_0336167f0a_o.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/4148739768_0336167f0a_o.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/4148739768_0336167f0a_o.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/4148739768_0336167f0a_o.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":930,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/930\/hand-gestures-point-towards-the-origins-of-language\/","url_meta":{"origin":1574,"position":3},"title":"Hand gestures point towards the origins of language","author":"Anthony King","date":"August 20, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Communication gestures used by humans and our primate relatives are providing clues about how our species\u2019 ability to use spoken language evolved. There are few one-offs in life on Earth \u2013 rarely can a single species boast a trait or ability that no other possesses. But human language is one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/08\/chimps-3707292_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/08\/chimps-3707292_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/08\/chimps-3707292_1920.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/08\/chimps-3707292_1920.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/08\/chimps-3707292_1920.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/08\/chimps-3707292_1920.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2845,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2845\/combining-tech-and-tradition-to-revive-europes-endangered-languages\/","url_meta":{"origin":1574,"position":4},"title":"Combining tech and tradition to revive Europe\u2019s endangered languages","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"August 30, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The quest is on to support endangered European languages, some with only a handful of speakers left. By Gareth Willmer Like civilisations, languages rise, fall and disappear. Even in Europe, which strives to uphold its linguistic diversity, dozens of regional languages are on the road to extinction. But the work\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Social Sciences"","block_context":{"text":"Social Sciences","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/social-sciences\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/08\/30.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/08\/30.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/08\/30.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/08\/30.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/08\/30.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/08\/30.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":622,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/622\/noise-and-motion-links-to-dyslexia-pave-way-for-early-diagnosis\/","url_meta":{"origin":1574,"position":5},"title":"Noise and motion links to dyslexia pave way for early diagnosis","author":"Sandrine Ceurstemont","date":"January 8, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Most children are able to learn language almost effortlessly. But for those with communication disorders such as dyslexia, mastering their native tongue can be a challenge. Researchers are exploring how links with noise, language and motion could help diagnose problems earlier and pave the way for better treatment. Dyslexia is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Brain & Behavior"","block_context":{"text":"Brain & Behavior","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/brain-behavior\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Image credit - Jay Inslee, CC BY-ND 2.0","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/01\/readingkids.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/01\/readingkids.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/01\/readingkids.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/01\/readingkids.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/01\/readingkids.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/01\/readingkids.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/318"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1574"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1574\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}