Free Essay

Why Bilinguals Are Smarter

In:

Submitted By minismile
Words 958
Pages 4
Sefora Guillen

Prof. Seif

C.A.R 2

March 27, 2012

Response to “Why Bilinguals are Smarter”

Researchers have 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 system that we use in planning, solving problems and ignoring distractions to stay focused. According to International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, Italy, 7-month-old babies exposed to two languages from birth were compared with peers raised with one language. The bilingual babies were quicker to discover to switch their anticipatory gaze to look at the puppet which was moving from one screen to the other. The monolingual babies did not realize the change.

The United States has an abundant amount of languages because of the vast number of immigrants that come to live here. This growing number of languages is an indicator that English speaking Americans should learn a second language to communicate effectively with those around them. As immigrants gradually reach the American Dream, Americans have lacked behind on educating themselves about their own neighbors’ cultures. As a result, the consequence is a lack of communication.

As of ways to aid the consequence, American English speakers should have their own “Bilingual Education”. The intermingling between Spanish students and English students should be encouraged in schools more often. During my grade school years, I noticed how the separation between ESL students and the regular students created a barrier amongst them. Dual-language programs would be a great aid to have monologists learning Spanish. This recent research only proves how powerful language is. Without being conscious about this newly found research; bilinguals are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Realizing how significant another language can be by helping stop an epidemic that has hit elderly Americans is astonishing. Imagine how significantly this epidemic can decrease with the Dual-language programs.

In two-way immersion programs, the classes are set up with both the native English speaker and those of another native tongue. The goal is that these students would teach each other in an open class environment to become “fully bilingual, biliterate students by the end of elementary school.” (care2.com) In San Francisco, California, students can receive a “seal of biliteracy” on their high school transcripts and diplomas. By implementing two-way programs throughout the United States, the barrier between English speakers and English learners will become less of a barrier.

In most High school and colleges, students are given the choice of another language to take as an elective. Some of these students could care less what they learn in their elective classes. Because foreign language classes are not taking seriously by high school students; they need to be taught a second language earlier in their childhood. In psychological research it is said that children can absorb an abundant amount of information. Dual-programs in elementary schools would do wonders to aid the gap between the groups aforementioned.

Along with intermingling and creating connections with one another, job opportunities increase to those who are bilingual. According to Redwood City teacher Toby Pollock, “Having another language in your head and your heart makes the workplace more of a challenge and the job more exciting.” With that being said, as a bilingual I experience working with customers who are mainly Spanish or English speakers. The advantage of knowing these two languages help me communicate clearly to my co-workers and the customer as well.

As a way to communicate effectively with others of different cultural backgrounds and customs, people need to begin to understand one another. Learning from one another is the key to successful and open relationships with people of different races. Opportunities are also highly increased to those who have the chance to be a part of dual-language programs. The advantages are conserving your memory and creating a wildfire of opportunities in a workplace.

References

BHATTACHARJEE, YUDHIJIT. "The Benefits of Bilingualism - NYTimes.com." NY Times Lily Martinez LlllmartiAdvertisement. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2012.

" Jobs in California | Career and Employment Resources for Jobseekers in California | jobjournal.com – Being Bilingual Translates into More Opportunity."Jobs in California. California Jobs, Search Jobs in California, Cal Jobs | jobjournal.com. N.p., 18 July 2004. Web. 24 Mar. 2012. .

Chew, Kristina. "The Advantages of Being Bilingual | Care2 Causes." Care2 - largest online community for healthy and green living, human rights and animal welfare.. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. .

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Why Bilinguals Are Smarter Summary

...Why Bilinguals Are Smarter Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, in his article written for The New York Times “why bilinguals are smarter,” explains that more than just being able to communicate with people from other countries, being bilingual makes you smarter; it causes a great effect on people’s brains from infancy to old age. Being bilingual improves cognitive skills such as the executive function, helps become more adept at solving certain puzzles, enhances people’s ability to monitor the environment, and even helps prevent dementia and Alzheimer in old age. Additionally, according to the article, although some researchers, educators and policy makers from the 20th claimed that a second language is a cognitive interference that obstructs children intellectual and academic development, researchers have found out that this interference is truly beneficial. “It forces the brain to resolve internal conflict, giving the mind a workout that strengthens its cognitive muscles,” states the writer. I consider Yudhijit’s article is effective in explaining the cognitive benefits obtained by learning a second language. Yudhijit Bhattacharjee presents...

Words: 637 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Being Bilingual Essay

...Babies can distinguish between different languages by using rhythmic cues from the earliest days of life. Therefore, bilingual children already have an advantage since birth. Individuals who are bilingual are not necessarily smarter than those that are not, although, they do have some advantages. Infact, being...

Words: 443 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Kinetico

...Kinetico Amy Morrison Ashford University PHI 445 Personal and Organizational Ethics Ronald Cade March 27, 2011 I do believe there are many differences between values, moral and ethics. Some believe that values are what we learn from our upbringing from parents and contiguous pressure of adults implicated in the children’s life. Morality is the values urbanized from that assessment classification and how one ought to conduct themselves in any given circumstances. Ethics on the other hand is how someone essentially conducts themselves in the circumstances that may analysis ones principles and ethics. Values fluctuate from individuals. People use there values and ethical conduct to assist in making every day alternatives. Some people values increase over a better superiority civilization. Values support ethics in our professional and home life. An organizer will make moral alternatives during the business day as wells as personal life. How each organizer perceives a moral predicament determines what alternative is made to establish a business guidelines as well as personal home life? What an individual values is hard to recognize but an inclination of conduct can be used to devise a judgment. Some of the values that I hold profoundly today are sympathy, honor, sincerity, and ingenuousness.   Sympathy is more of a good quality than a value, but the two are associated in that morals hold qualities such as empathy, reliability, and admiration. Sympathy is...

Words: 1896 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Persuasive Speech: Spanish For The Future

...Future a. As stated by Gregory K Fitz of Brown University, by 2050, 85% of the world’s population will be multilingual, and as of right now only 26% of US residents are bilingual. If we do not change our ways we may be left in the dust because we might not know how to interact and compete with the diverse globalized markets because we are not getting the education we need. As of 2013, only 7% of college students were enrolled in a foreign language, and the trends show that this percentage will continue to fall (Fritz, Gregory K). We need to stop this trend because the Hispanic population is growing and we need to be educated. (Transition: As you can see, there is a need to learn Spanish, so that we can strength our communication and relationship with the growing population. Through my academic career, I have taken advantage of every opportunity to further my Spanish knowledge through classes. Through my experiences...

Words: 1137 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

New Language

...Have you ever considered learning a new language? In America, English is the only language needed. For this reason many people stick with English alone. Other languages open opportunities for different conversations. What can come from learning another language? There are many different benefits from taking on a second language. If you want to travel to another country for business or a vacation, it is important to know what language the natives speak. A person’s lifestyle is improved due the ability to communicate with locals while vacationing. Without this knowledge communication will be very difficult. If you cannot speak with people in a foreign country you will never get what you want and your trip will be a disaster. One alternative of this is to hire a translator. However hiring a translator can be more of a hassle than an asset. If you know you will be working with foreign people, the best route is to learn their language. In fact, some countries like France think it is rude not to attempt speaking to them with their language. There are different options available when learning to speak a new language. Some people try to use Rosetta Stone which is a computer program that teaches its students by using pictures and computerized voices to teach you the basics of the language. This method of learning can be effective, but it is not recommended to start with. Rosetta Stone is extremely pricy and it doesn’t teach properly. A better way to learn a language is through a course...

Words: 1044 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Feasiility Study (Improvements for Plp)

...developing and improving. And now, PLP is a competitive university in NCR. It has a lot of different facilities and equipments that are comparable to those elite schools. But apparently, there are still things that PLP is lacking of and PLP authorities should pay attention to it for the better. Some of the Current systems in PLP that receives numerous complaints from students in different colleges are the Manual Enrollment System and the Insufficiency and out datedness of the books in the library especially accounting books. They complain about the inaccuracy, delays, inadequateness and inefficiency of these. As a student in PLP, we are eager to help and contribute in the progressiveness and prosperity of our University. That is the reason why we formulated recommendations through the help of PLP students for the improvement and betterment of our university. These recommendations are the implementation of Online Enrollment System which was being favored by most of the students in PLP; The Making of PLP Official Website which has a vital role because it is the main source of information about our university ; Implementation of Public Address System which involve installation of speakers along the corridors and in each classroom that are used in announcing important events and for emergency purposes; Online Accounting Library for those students that is having difficulties in understanding the principles of accounting; Additional and updated accounting books in the library because...

Words: 4859 - Pages: 20

Premium Essay

Aed201

...Students Chapter 3 Learner Diversity: Differences in Today’s Students Chapter 4 Changes in American Society: Their Influences on Today’s Schools ISBN: 0-536-29980-3 Introduction to Teaching: Becoming a Professional, Second Edition, by Donald Kauchak and Paul Eggen Published by Prentice-Hall/Merrill. Copyright © 2005 by Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN: 0-536-29980-3 Introduction to Teaching: Becoming a Professional, Second Edition, by Donald Kauchak and Paul Eggen Published by Prentice-Hall/Merrill. Copyright © 2005 by Pearson Education, Inc. Learner Diversity Differences in Today’s Students T eachers begin their careers expecting to find classrooms like the ones they experienced when they were students. In some ways classrooms are the same. Students go to school to learn, but they also want to have fun and be with their friends. They expect to work but often need encouragement from their teachers. They’re typical kids. Classrooms are changing, however; the population of our schools is becoming increasingly diverse. Students come from different cultures and speak many different languages at home; they possess a range of abilities and talents; and issues involving differences between boys and girls are receiving increased attention. In this chapter we examine this diversity as we try to answer the following questions: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ What is cultural diversity, and how does it influence student learning? How are the educational experiences of boys and girls different...

Words: 20270 - Pages: 82

Premium Essay

Education Diversity

...2 Understanding Diversity in the Classroom CHAPTER LEARNING GOALS After you study this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Explain the importance of understanding classroom diversity. 2. Explain the different group and individual sources of diversity. 3. Describe approaches to teaching in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms. 4. Explain the provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 5. Explain the characteristics of students with exceptionalities. 6. Describe the role of the teacher in the inclusive classroom. Imagine You Are the Teacher It Is The First Teaching year at Lincoln Elementary School for Ms. Branson. She has 30 fifth-graders of whom 13 are girls and 17 are boys, 12 participate in the free and reduced lunch program, 5 are English language learners, and 4 have individualized education programs (IEPs). As she plans her lesson on paragraph writing, she is trying to keep the special needs of each of her students in mind. Because Jessica has a hearing impairment, Ms. Branson decides to make a written outline that includes the important parts of a paragraph and examples of good and bad paragraphs. She also decides to go over the outline several times because Fred and Alex have a reading disability. In her plan, there is also a note to herself to find a bigger pencil and wide-lined paper for Suzy, who requires these modifications according to her IEP. Based on past writing experiences, she expects Monica to finish writing her paragraph...

Words: 31653 - Pages: 127

Premium Essay

Total Rewards System Proposal

...Total Rewards System Proposal Lakeya Lyle HRM 533 Dr. Lorna Thomas August 9, 2015 Create a brief overview of the company requirements for a total rewards system. The Allstate Corporation is the largest publicly held personal lines property and casualty insurer in America. Allstate was founded in 1931 and became a publicly traded company in 1993. They are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol ALL. Allstate is widely known through the "You're In Good Hands With Allstate" slogan. As of year-end 2014, Allstate had $108.5 billion in total assets. In 2014, Allstate was number 92 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies in America. The Allstate Corporation encompasses more than 75,000 professionals made up of employees, agency owners and staff. Among Allstate's employees, 56 percent are women, and 33 percent are minorities. More than 42 percent of officers and managers are women and 22 percent are minorities. As a company with a diverse population of employees, agents and customers, Allstate embraces diversity in everything they do, not only the customers they serve and the communities in which they invest, but also the people they hire and the businesses they use as suppliers. It's a testament to the company's corporate citizenship and a sound business strategy. Allstate is reinventing protection and retirement to help approximately 16 million households insure what they have today and better prepare for tomorrow. There high performance work environment...

Words: 2474 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Marketer

...serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so. CUSTOMER PSYCHOLOGY……HOW IMPORTANT FOR A MARKETER TO STUDY????? Companies use marketing to promote and sell their products or services, and consumer behavior is how consumers act and respond in the retail environment. In order for a company to create a strong marketing campaign, it is important to understand how and to what the consumer will respond. This relationship between marketing and consumer behavior involves studies, focus groups, psychological analyses and other methods of studying the market for a particular product or service. Understanding consumer behavior is critical for marketing any product or service successfully. When a company can understand why people buy what they buy and the reasons behind their decisions as consumers, the company can create a marketing campaign that specifically addresses those elements of the purchasing decision. Not all products appeal to all people; the key for...

Words: 57171 - Pages: 229

Premium Essay

Starbucks External Customer Analysis

...Marketing Plan Assignment 2: Goals & Objectives, Customer Analysis, and Target Market & Positioning Nan Zhang, Thai Tran, Hollyann Joyner I. Marketing Goals and Objectives A. Have largest market share in US coffee Industry * Objective 1: opening 3000+ net new stores in America by 2017 Starbucks will open more than 3000 stores in 48 states in US depends on population density. High population area like New York and Washington should open more than other states. And US is the largest market for Starbucks, and it’s brand name is well known, open more stores, and have an intensive distribution, so when consumer thirsty or tired, they can find a Starbucks next to them. * Objective 2: US market revenue grow by 12% in 2014. At least half of the new stores are expected to be in the strong, rapidly growing U.S. market, and in 2012, the new store revenue grew by 9 percent. Starbucks should focus on their loyalty program and advertising activities, so people could always see it in TV or internet. So sale will increase gradually. So Starbucks expect higher revenue 12 percent in 2014 is reasonable and possible. B. China on track become second-largest market in 2014 * Objective 1:opening 1000 new stores in different provinces of China by 2016 China had an 8 percent growth in 2013, almost the same as America, Starbucks has a really good brand name, currently there are more than 3,000 stores in China, and they all located in major big cities, so...

Words: 4910 - Pages: 20

Premium Essay

Psyc 307 Midterm Review

...Required Reading: Chapter 1, 2, 3 & 4 Slides 1: Themes of cultural psychology: - Psychological processes are shaped by cultural experiences Defining Culture: (3, last one is the best/preferred definition for this class) - A group of people who have a shared context (geographical, historical, linguistic, etc.) - A group of people who have shared beliefs - BEST definition: Information acquired from other members of a species through social learning. Challenges to defining culture: Cultural boundaries are not distinct and often unclear Cultural are dynamic and change There is substantial within-culture variation Fuzzy category(模糊的) Compare and Contrast: Cultural PSYC vs. General PSYC (different focuses and premises假定) - General Psychology: • Focused on: human universals(普遍性): does not vary across human cultures • All people everywhere are the same • Context and content of thought is largely just noise (Ignore the ability to understand the human mind) - Cultural Psychology: • Focused on: cultural variation and causes of variation • Humans are a cultural species - culture informs how we think • Thoughts are shaped by contexts • Minds and culture are entangled( 缠绕在⼀一起) with each other Mueller-Lyer illusion(哪个更长): - Trick of perspective - A lot of cultural variation is susceptibility(易受影响的) to this illusion Psychology is W.E.I.R.D.: - Most of what we know about psychology is based on WEIRD samples: • Western • Educated • Industrialized • Rich • Democratic 第 1 ⾴頁 ...

Words: 4248 - Pages: 17

Free Essay

Introduction to Sociolinguistic

...An Introduction to Sociolinguistics AITA01 1 5/9/05, 4:36 PM Blackwell Textbooks in Linguistics The books included in this series provide comprehensive accounts of some of the most central and most rapidly developing areas of research in linguistics. Intended primarily for introductory and post-introductory students, they include exercises, discussion points, and suggestions for further reading. 1. Liliane Haegeman 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Andrew Spencer Helen Goodluck Ronald Wardhaugh Martin Atkinson Diane Blakemore Michael Kenstowicz Deborah Schiffrin John Clark and Colin Yallop 10. 11. 12. 13. Natsuko Tsujimura Robert D. Borsley Nigel Fabb Irene Heim and Angelika Kratzer 14. Liliane Haegeman and Jacqueline Guéron 15. Stephen Crain and Diane Lillo-Martin 16. Joan Bresnan 17. Barbara A. Fennell 18. Henry Rogers 19. Benjamin W. Fortson IV 20. AITA01 Liliane Haegeman 2 Introduction to Government and Binding Theory (Second Edition) Morphological Theory Language Acquisition Introduction to Sociolinguistics (Fifth Edition) Children’s Syntax Understanding Utterances Phonology in Generative Grammar Approaches to Discourse An Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology (Second Edition) An Introduction to Japanese Linguistics Modern Phrase Structure Grammar Linguistics and Literature Semantics in Generative Grammar English Grammar: A Generative Perspective An Introduction to Linguistic Theory and Language...

Words: 213157 - Pages: 853

Premium Essay

Aanything

...provide suggestions and feedback related to the core values. Staffing is also involved as they incorporate their core values into the hiring process, particularly the desire to hire people who are humble. Although less obvious, Leading and Motivating are present as well. Employees involved in defining the company’s core values are quite likely to find their work more satisfying and rewarding. Leadership is evident as there is a clear vision and desire to develop and implement the core values with a willingness to sacrifice short-term gains for long-term benefits. They are protecting their company culture and sticking to their values. This would not be possible without strong leadership. Annotation 1c Learning Under Fire Question: Why is military combat experience a fertile training ground for managers and entrepreneurs? Use...

Words: 13257 - Pages: 54

Free Essay

Moblie Text Messaging

...The Social Science Journal 51 (2014) 57–69 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect The Social Science Journal journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/soscij Addiction to mobile text messaging applications is nothing to “lol” aboutଝ Abdullah J. Sultan ∗ Department of Management and Marketing, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5486, Safat 13055, Kuwait a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 3 December 2012 Received in revised form 5 September 2013 Accepted 5 September 2013 Available online 2 October 2013 Keywords: Text messaging Social communication Social phobia and anxiety Addiction Extraversion a b s t r a c t The recent use of mobile text messaging applications, such as Blackberry Messenger (BBM) and WhatsApp, has increased greatly throughout the world. Unfortunately, this advanced technology is not without problems. In this study, the researcher argues that BBM and WhatsApp may generate noticeable improvements in consumer’s lives but may simultaneously cause serious social and personal problems, including addiction to these applications. Amazingly, this topic has received little if any attention from consumer behaviorists, who need to understand the psychological factors that affect BBM and WhatsApp consumers. Hence, the current research examines two personality traits—extraversion and social anxiety—that influence consumer attitudes toward these applications. The results of a survey from 552 BBM and WhatsApp consumers in Kuwait...

Words: 8963 - Pages: 36