...Does Bilingualism improve brain functioning? Although it is believed by many that it is impossible for children to master two different languages simultaneously, children who are bilingual are more effective learners because the children can benefit from bilingualism in their cognitive development and help to progress their mental health. This paper will examine Jean Paget’s and Lev Vygotsky’s Theories of Cognitive Development, and B.F. Skinner’s and Noam Chomsky’s Language Development Theories, describing relevant terminology, and addressing how the theory assists in the understanding of issues involved in the selected topic. Identify and describe at least two domains of human development (physical, biological emotional, cognitive, and/or social) and how they are impacted by the topic does bilingualism improve brain functioning. Identify and describe the stages of development that are affected by the topic does bilingualism improve brain functioning. Describe the cultural and historical perspectives of the chosen topic, demonstrating an understanding of how the topic has been perceived over time and by other cultures. Cognitive development is a comprehensive theory about the nature and development of human intelligence (wikipedia.com, 2014). When bilingualism is defined in the first way, as the characteristic of an individual who possesses two linguistic systems - we call it cognitive bilingualism (Hukuta and others, 1978). Bilingualism defined in the second...
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...Throughout the semester, various linguistic topics and fields have been mentioned, ranging from neurolinguistics to sociolinguistics. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of linguistics (to me, at least) is the role that language plays in the brain – neurolinguistics. From the apparent critical period of language, most supported by the case of Genie, to how one can have their speech production severely handicapped if Broca’s area in the left hemisphere is damaged, the effects that changes to the brain can have on language (and the reverse – the effects that language can have on the brain) are wide-ranging and potentially not fully explored. As such, if I were given license to be a linguist, my focus would be on neurolinguistics; specifically,...
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...1980s, it was widely believed that bilingualism was associated with lower cognitive function (Hakuta et al., 1987). Some researchers believed that bilingual children suffer from linguistic, intellectual and academic retardation in relation to their monolingual peers (Tucker & d’Anglejan,1971). Researchers have also shown the negative effects of bilingualism on cognitive abilities. Our brain is like the banking system in order to draw new information it had to eradicate old information such as first language to store second language (Freire 2000) so bilingualism is verbal disadvantage and bilingual perform poor in verbal-fluency tasks (Gollan & Brown, 2006, (Rosselli et al., 2000), bilinguals have disadvantages in speaking (Gollan et al) due...
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...He who knows one, Knows none. By Max Muller Bilingualism is the ability to speak or write more fluently in 2 languages. In Canada this term has particular meaning it means the ability to communicate in both Canada’s official language i.e. English and French. Official language act it declares the equality of status, for English and French, for all government and federal departments. According to linguistic census there were almost five million Canadians who speak their mother tongue other than English and the number has risen since then. There are almost 338000 students who study in school based French immersion program and almost 1.5 million students are taking core courses in other languages. Each province has increased their enrollment in immersion program by 1 to 5 percent since 2000 but eastern Canada has shown the maximum progress, British Columbia has their policy of first come served signup, which delayed their growth in bilingualism. Status of bilingualism showed a decline growth over past few years due to rise of other multicultural groups in Canada. Given the rise of different language group over the last years there is growing movement toward creating Canada as a multilingual nation. I totally support bilingualism, English and French school in Canada but I feel that there should be more options for other language as second language education. Metropolitan cities school has more options of second language courses. Courses like Spanish, Mandarin or...
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...ranging from reading comprehension to learning electronics” (Baddeley, 2003, p. 203). Although these systems are constantly being exercised by multiple languages, there are limits to the brain’s neuroplasticity. It is common knowledge that the later one learns a language, the less easily it can be picked up. Thus, it can be deduced that the earlier one learns a language, he bigger the benefits one can reap in terms of exercising and maximizing brain space for working memory. Bilinguals, by virtue of having...
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...Bilingualism in Canada: Good or Bad? I believe that bilingualism is central to Canada’s identity, as well as other languages. Pierre Elliott Trudeau has said that, “Bilingualism unites people; dualism divides them. Bilingualism means you can speak to the other; duality means you live in one language and the rest of Canada will live in another language”. Bilingualism is an essential part of Canadian nature and in the Canadian policy it promotes individuals to study a different language so you can be able to have mutual understanding with others. One thing to define being a Canadian is living in a country with two official languages, but doesn’t mean that living in a bilingual city you have to know French and English. A bilingual country, people or even ethnicity is a benefit to the citizens and society. A research in psychology proves that learning a second language increases reasoning and problem-solving abilities. Canadian children who are bilingual appreciate cultural differences and have the ability to communicate better. Being bilingual is makes you more open and flexible to critical understanding and appreciating different ways of problem solving and more inspired to becoming involved. The openness of bilingualism is reflected towards society that may direct at the political rank to a better firmness. Bilingual workers have a greater chance of getting large income benefit over workers...
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...discovered people who are bilingual are smarter. The profound effect of bilingualism improves cognitive skills not related to language and helps prevent against dementia in old age. Bilingualism was considered an interference that hindered a child’s academic and intellectual development. The interference happens because the brain activates both languages so they obstruct each other. However, this interference is in fact a blessing in disguise because it actually forces the brain to resolve internal conflicts which gives the mind a workout that strengthens its cognitive muscles. Some instances were bilinguals surpass monolinguals in intelligence are at solving certain types of mental puzzles. The article explains a 2004 study conducted by psychologists Ellen Bialystok and Michelle Martin-Rhee were “bilingual and monolingual preschoolers were asked to sort blue circles and red squares presented on a computer screen into two digital bins. In the first task, the children had to sort the shapes by color, placing blue circles in the bin marked with the blue square and red squares in the bin marked with the red circle. Both groups did this with comparable ease. Next, the children were asked to sort by shape, which was more challenging because it required placing the images in a bin marked with a conflicting color. The bilinguals were quicker at performing this task.”(nytimes.com) The article continued to explain the Bilingualism improves the brain’s executive function which is the command...
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...Although scientists do not know why this particular phenomenon happens, some theorize that speaking two languages may increase blood and oxygen flow to the brain and keep nerve connections healthy, which are factors that repel dementia. Being bilingual is also extremely advantageous to adults, too. Bilingual adults have denser gray matter in their brains. Gray matter is brain tissue filled with information-processing nerve cells and fibers. Susan Perry states that the denser material is more on the left hemisphere on the brain because the left hemisphere is where the language center is controlled. The effect is strongest in people who learned a second language before the age of five. This evidence suggests that being bilingual from an early age could greatly alter the brain's structure. This is leading to a better understanding of how the brain organizes speech and communication tasks, and also showing greater insight into how specific types of brain activity may prevent dementia. The new discoveries neurologists and psychologists are making about the bilingual brain might just be creating a new...
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...Bilingual Education : Friend or Foe? Jennifer Smith Faulkner University Abstract This paper explores both the history of bilingual education as well as it’s implications for American Society. We will define the difference between bilingual education and bilingualism. It takes a formative look at the Bilingual Education Act to see our roots in bilingual education. We will examine both the advantages and disadvantages of bilingualism and it’s effect on the brain. Also, we will attempt to shed some needed light on just why this is such a hot political topic. Why do Americans still seem unwilling to accept bilingual education as a necessity for their children? Bilingual Education: Friend or Foe? Bilingual education is a polarizing topic in America. Torn between preserving American culture and what makes us American, and providing immigrant children with the same access to education that all Americans deserve, bilingual education is now a political topic in America. There have been many attempts to make positive changes in our education system concerning bilingual education. Even for those who agree that bilingual education is important, arriving at the answer to the best approach is on a meandering path. With decades of studies, opinions and speculation as to the right way to best educate English language learners, it is not unlikely that many Americans wonder if bilingual education is friend or foe? Answers to these questions...
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...How Important is Bilingualism? According to the Atlantic, only one percent of the adult population in America, whose native language is English, is proficient in a foreign language—in Europe, the average is 56 percent. This discrepancy is partly due to the globalization of English, which encourages non-native English speakers to learn English, while native English speakers do not have this same cultural influence to learn another language. However, that is no excuse for native English speakers. For the 2014-2015 school year, the high school graduation rate reached 83%, as surveyed by npr.org. 83% of students from that year attended schooling regularly for twelve years and graduated, meeting the requirements of a variety of standardized testing...
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...EDPROFST 226: Introduction to Bilingualism and Bilingual Immersion Education Assignment One: In his book, Language, Power and Pedagogy: bilingual children in the crossfire, Cummins (2000) tells a story of a bilingual Mexican mother who was ordered by a judge to stop speaking Spanish to her daughter during a custody dispute with her husband. The judge’s view was that the mother was ‘abusing’ her daughter by speaking Spanish in their home (p.13). Unfortunately the judge is not alone in his opinion in regards to second language acquisition and bilingualism. Nor is the context of America and the minority language of Spanish different from the New Zealand context in the way that minority languages are viewed ‘ongoing bilingualism in a so-called minority, indigenous or community language is still regarded by many as an educational, and wider social impediment” (May, Hill, Tiakiwai, 2004, p.8). Cummins asks some important questions in regards to bilingual education in both homes and schools including, ‘To what extent is it child abuse to send new teachers into classrooms (in multilingual cities such as Toronto, London, or New York) with minimal or no preparation on how to teach academic content to students who are in the process of learning English and whose cultural background differs significantly from that assumed by all of the structures of schooling (e.g. curriculum, assessment, and teacher preparation)?’ (Cummins, 2000, p.14) New Zealand is a rich, diverse multicultural...
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...1.0 INTRODUCTION Learning to talk is one of the most visible and important achievements of early childhood. All things being normal, in a matter of months, and without explicit teaching, toddlers move from hesitant single words to fluent sentences and from a small vocabulary to one that is growing by six new words a day. Language development is a complex subject with varying views.This debate reflects fundamentally different beliefs about human development and is not likely to be resolved. There is however considerable agreement that the course of language development reflects the interplay of factors in at least five domains.Educators and policy-makers have often ignored schoolchildren, whose language seems to be lagging behind development in other areas, arguing that such children are “just a bit late” in talking. However language development is a vital issue which has implications on the performance of a child at school. Because of this, this essay analyses factors that affect language development. 2.0 DEFINITION OF TERMS 2.1 LANGUAGE Skinner, who was a behaviourist, defined language as the observed and produced speech that occurs in the interaction of speaker and listener. 2.2LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT According to the internet site, www.healthofchildren.com/L/Language-Development, Language development is the process by which children come to understand and communicate language during early childhood. 3. 0 3.1 EXPOSURE TO THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT Owens R. (2001), quoted Beistein...
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...PSYCHOLOGY 110– LAB EXPERIENCE PAPER MEMORY in HUMAN BEINGS SECTION I: OVERVIEW Memory, is an abstract term with no real concrete definition or absolute understanding thus making the word intriguing enough to draw attention to the greater subject of what it is, how it works and why it goes wrong. It is an essential concept in our daily life yet is the most elusive and misunderstood human attribute. Its constant presence in our everyday and its intricately complex mysteries is what ignites my interest in the research conducted in this field of Psychology. As a college student memory plays a great role in our academic performance, from weather we can recall mathematical formulas to recalling something a professor said in class to remembering certain solutions, key words and definitions we read in course material. Therefore from a personal standpoint the topic of memory interests me, as by understanding this complex concept and going into the depths of it’s functioning, I might be able to improve my own. Memory is formed from childhood and I am interested to see if memory is an natural capacity, and if so what factors lead to a better memory and if not can memory be affected by daily everyday factors. From a Psychological perspective memory excites me because the way we remember things and how can help us understand behavior and reactions to various situations. Memory hence affects decision-making and all other spheres of human life. The recollection of memory,...
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...Development, 13, 377-392; focuses primarily on the neuropsychological aspects that influence anti-social behaviours in young children and adolcesents. 7. Who is Dr. Ken Rubin and what connection does he have to Canadian developmental psychology? a. Dr. Kenneth Rubin is a Development Psychologist and the 2014 Pickering Award Winer for outstanding contributions to developental psychology in Canada.Much of his work focuses primarily on emotional development and regulation in children and young adults. 8. Who studies bilingualism and is also an Officer of the Order of Canada? What are the main types of research methods that s/he uses in their research? (2 marks) a. Dr. Ellen Bialystok, OC, PhD, FRSC is a very distinguish developmental psychologist of York Univerisity. Much of her research involves the use of brain imaging techniques (EEG, fMRI) to observe the influence of familiarity on cognitive processes across the lifespan, with most attention on the influence of bilingualism. 9. What do we mean by the term developmental psychopathology? Find two CDPs who conduct research in this area. Describe their research and provide university affiliations. (4...
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...acquiring the knowledge and skills that are transferred from one generation to the next. (Lee, 2009) Academic performance in a student educational journey is one of the most significant aspects in regards to a child’s academic outcome. In many cases it is often promoted that being bilingual is a contributing factor to enhancing a child’s academic performance. In Australia, statistics show that there are around 22 million Australians speaking in approximately 400 different languages or were either bilingual (Australian Bureau Statistics, 2009). As statistics highlight the fact that there is an increasing rate of people who communicate in more than one language, researches are shifting towards the need for support and understanding of bilingualism students in regards to their academic performance. Thus, this essay will critique how a being bilingual can affect positively in a child’s cognitive process such as memory, task-switching and attention and how these aspects may all lead to a better academic achievement Being bilingual has been linked to a number of cognitive benefits. One such benefit that studies have repeatedly shown in...
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