Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

4-2016

Abstract

In view of inconsistent findings regarding bilingual advantages in executive functions (EF), we reviewed the literature to determine whether bilinguals' different language usage causes measureable changes in the shifting aspects of EF. By drawing on the theoretical framework of the adaptive control hypothesis-which postulates a critical link between bilinguals' varying demands on language control and adaptive cognitive control (Green and Abutalebi, 2013), we examined three factors that characterize bilinguals' language-switching experience: (a) the interactional context of conversational exchanges, (b) frequency of language switching, and (c) typology of code-switching. We also examined whether methodological variations in previous task-switching studies modulate task-specific demands on control processing and lead to inconsistencies in the literature. Our review demonstrates that not only methodological rigor but also a more finely grained, theory-based approach will be required to understand the cognitive consequences of bilinguals' varied linguistic practices in shifting EF.

Keywords

Bilingualism, Mixing costs, Shifting EF, Switch costs, Task switching, The adaptive control hypothesis

Discipline

Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | Interpersonal and Small Group Communication

Research Areas

Psychology

Publication

Frontiers in Psychology

Volume

7

First Page

560:1

Last Page

8

ISSN

1664-1078

Identifier

10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00560

Publisher

Frontiers Media

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00560

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