Attention
Does learning a second language late still boost auditory attention?
Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC
Bilinguals show better auditory selective attention and mental switching than monolinguals, even if they learned their second language as teenagers.
How this study connects
Role on claims
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Whether bilingualism confers an attentional advantage is unresolved within this corpus. One study found bilinguals outperformed monolinguals on auditory selective attention (r = −0.40 for late childhood bilinguals) and attentional switching; a lifespan study found almost no advantage across tasks, with monolinguals often faster or more accurate on the Simon task.
Evidence for the claim as stated.
Bilingual individuals can exhibit superior auditory selective attention compared to monolinguals, a benefit that manifests even in those who acquired their second language during late childhood or early adulthood.
Evidence for the claim as stated.
Studies disagree on whether bilingualism provides an advantage in selective attention. Some research demonstrates bilingual advantages in children's visual attention and adults' auditory attention, whereas other research finds no significant differences in young adults' visual search and selective attention performance.
Evidence for the claim as stated.
Open questions
Tensions this paper is part of
From concept pages' “where studies disagree.” Disagreement means the same question; scope means different assays, populations, or outcomes.
Whether bilingualism confers an attentional advantage is unresolved within this corpus. One study found bilinguals outperformed monolinguals on auditory selective attention (r = −0.40 for late childhood bilinguals) and attentional switching; a lifespan study found almost no advantage across tasks, with monolinguals often faster or more accurate on the Simon task.
Studies disagree on whether bilingualism provides an advantage in selective attention. Some research demonstrates bilingual advantages in children's visual attention and adults' auditory attention, whereas other research finds no significant differences in young adults' visual search and selective attention performance.
Study at a glance
- Design
- Cross-sectional — Two experiments comparing monolinguals with early/late childhood or early-adulthood bilinguals on TEA auditory attention
- N
- Experiment 1 n=60; Experiment 2 n=38 — no single primary N
- Population
- University of Edinburgh students fluent in English
- Outcome
- Auditory selective attention and attentional switching by bilingual onset
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Does learning a second language late still boost auditory attention?
These passages occur verbatim in the stored paper text. They support the points listed below; they do not verify every statement in the explanation.
60 participants in the first experiment
All 60 subjects were students at the University of Edinburgh, who understood and spoke English fluently.
19 monolinguals in the first experiment
Based on the results of the Language Ability Questionnaire (see Appendix 1 in Supplementary Material), 19 were classified as monolinguals (ML), 23 as ECB, and 18 as LCB (see Appendix 2 for a detailed list of languages spoken by each participant).
Key findings
Bilinguals performed better than monolinguals on auditory selective attention and attentional switching. Specifically, late childhood bilinguals excelled at selective attention, showing a moderate effect size of r = −0.40, while early childhood bilinguals excelled at switching, showing an effect size of r = −0.35. Early adulthood bilinguals also performed significantly better than monolinguals on the selective attention task.
Methodology
Researchers tested university students' auditory attention using the Test of Everyday Attention. In the first phase, they evaluated 60 participants divided into 19 monolinguals, 23 early childhood bilinguals who acquired their second language before age 4, and 18 late childhood bilinguals who acquired it between ages 4 and 15. In the second phase, they evaluated 38 participants, comparing 19 monolinguals with 19 early adulthood bilinguals who acquired their second language between ages 15 and 19.
Limitations
The study cannot prove that learning a second language causes improved attention, as it is possible that individuals with naturally stronger cognitive abilities are simply more likely to become bilingual. It also did not measure general intelligence or cognitive skills outside of the specific attention tests. Additionally, because the participants were young university students, the findings cannot automatically be generalized to older adults or clinical populations, and they did not examine adults who acquired a second language after age 19.
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