Psychology2016

304 CHAPTER 7

Practice Quiz How much do you remember?

Pick the best answer.

1. The basic units of sound in a language are known as
   a. grammar. c. syntax.
   b. morphemes. d. phonemes.


2. According to Noam Chomsky, what is a language acquisition device?
   a. an environmental entity that allows people to learn foreign
   languages
   b. a biological element of the brain that allows us to learn language
   c. a learning method that many can use to understand the
   language of infants and small children
   d. a part of the brain that develops during puberty that allows teens
   and adults to formulate questions and engage others


3. Researchers believe that up to the age of __, individuals
   possess the ability to understand phonemes of all languages.
   a. 3 months c. 2 years
   b. 9 months d. 7 years
   4. believed that language helps develop concepts,
   whereas believed that concepts must be developed
   first if language is to follow.
   a. Vygotsky; Piaget
   b. Chomsky; Sapir and Whorf
   c. Piaget; Rosch-Heider
   d. Sapir and Whorf; Vygotsky
   5. “Daddy go bye-bye” is an example of __.
   a. telegraphic speech
   b. babbling
   c. a holophrase
   d. cooing

APA Goal 2: Scientific Inquiry and

Critical Thinking

A Cognitive Advantage for Bilingual

Individuals?

Addresses APA Learning Objectives 2.1: Use scientific reasoning

to interpret psychological phenomena; and 2.3: Engage in

innovative and integrative thinking and problem solving.

In our growing, interconnected world, more and more of the population speaks more than

one language (Bialystok et al., 2009). Individuals that speak a single language are monolin-

gual and those that speak two are bilingual. Aside from enhanced communication, individu-

als who speak more than one language reportedly have greater cognitive reserves, are less

prone to some age-related decreases in functioning, and are even less susceptible to some

types of egocentric biases (Calvo et al., 2015; Rubio-Fernandez & Glucksberg, 2012).

Many studies suggest that bilingual people have other cognitive advantages as com-

pared to monolingual people. The advantages stem from their ability to successfully man-

age the activities of more than one language, with some studies reporting changes in

neuropsychological function and others reporting changes in the structure and connectivity

of the brain (Hervais-Adelman et al., 2011; Kroll et al., 2014; Olulade et al., 2015; Pliatsikas

et al., 2015). Those cognitive advantages extend beyond general language skills and are

believed to result in better cognitive performance overall, and multiple enhanced executive

functions, including better inhibitory control, better conflict monitoring, and more efficient

mental set shifting (von Bastian et al., 2015).

However, despite many studies, over many years, not everyone agrees that bilingual

individuals have such cognitive advantages. Some studies have failed to replicate previous

results or reported either inconsistent or no benefits for those that are bilingual (Paap &

Greenberg, 2013; von Bastian, et al., 2016). Additionally, others cite poor methodology,

small samples, and even publication bias for positive results related to the bilingual cogni-

tive advantage (de Bruin et al., 2015; Paap, 2014; Paap et al., 2014).