Second language gives toddlers an edge
Toddlers who learn a second language from infancy have an edge over their unilingual peers, according to a new study from Concordia University, York University and the Université de Provence.
As reported in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, the research team tested the understanding of English and French words among 24-month-olds to see if bilingual toddlers had acquired comparable vocabulary in each language.
“By 24 months, we found bilingual children had already acquired a vocabulary in each of their two languages and gained some experience in switching between English and French,” says senior researcher Diane Poulin-Dubois, a psychology professor at Concordia University and associate director of the Centre for Research in Human Development. “We found the cognitive benefits of bilingualism come much earlier than reported in previous studies.”
As part of the investigation, 63 toddlers were divided into groups of unilingual and bilingual infants. To assess levels of bilingualism, parents completed a language exposure interview and vocabulary checklists, while children completed five basic language and cognitive tests.
“Bilingual children outperformed their unilingual counterparts on tasks where they were distracted,” says Poulin-Dubois. “The small bilingual advantage that we observed in our 24-month-old bilinguals is probably due to a combination of infants’ experience listening to and using their two languages.”
These new findings have practical implications for educators and parents, says Poulin-Dubois. “Exposing toddlers to a second language early in their development provides a bilingual advantage that enhances attention control.”
Partners in research:
This study was funded by the Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Related links:
• Cited study from Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
• Concordia Department of Psychology
• Centre for Research in Human Development
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