'Mental Workouts for Couch Potatoes': Executive Function Variation among Spanish-English Bilingual Young Adults

Autor/inn/en	Smith, Sara Ashley; Briggs, Jessica G.; Pothier, Holly; Garcia, Jorge Nicholas, Jr.
Titel	'Mental Workouts for Couch Potatoes': Executive Function Variation among Spanish-English Bilingual Young Adults
Quelle	In: Applied Linguistics, 40 (2019) 3, S.413-431 (19 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0142-6001
Schlagwörter	Executive Function; Spanish; English (Second Language); Bilingualism; Second Language Learning; Language Usage; Individual Characteristics; Prediction; Correlation; Environmental Influences; Family Environment; Self Evaluation (Individuals); Television Viewing; Programming (Broadcast) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Spanisch; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Bilingualismus; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Sprachgebrauch; Personality characteristic; Personality traits; Persönlichkeitsmerkmal; Vorhersage; Korrelation; Environmental influence; Umwelteinfluss; Familienmilieu; Fernsehkonsum; Programmgestaltung
Abstract	Research has yet to reach a definitive consensus on whether or how bilingualism confers benefits on Executive Function (EF): numerous studies show an EF advantage for bilinguals over monolinguals, while others indicate no significant differences. These inconsistencies demonstrate that the mechanisms behind a potential bilingualism-to-EF relationship remain unclear. Multiple factors likely impact EF outcomes among bilinguals, including proficiency and extent and type and environment of language usage. The current study explored EF skills among a relatively homogeneous sample of 50 Spanish-English bilingual young adults to provide insights into the environmental and individual characteristics that contribute to EF diversity. Hierarchical regression modeling revealed that more balanced bilingual language usage in specific home-based tasks (particularly TV watching), and higher self-reported ability in Spanish and English significantly predicted higher EF. Results support the developing empirical consensus that greater engagement in dual-language contexts bears a positive relationship to EF. The finding that watching TV with a balanced language ratio has a significant positive relationship to EF opens strong potential opportunities for bilinguals to access EF benefits with minimal effort. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01