Chapter 5
Individual differences in cognitive control advantages of elderly late Dutch-English bilinguals
This study addresses a gap in the literature on executive function advantages among bilingual speakers by investigating a group of elderly, long-term, immersed bilinguals. Our participants are native Dutch speakers who emigrated to Australia as adults and have spent many years in that country. They are compared on a range of cognitive and linguistic measures to native Dutch and native English control groups. We argue that, due to the massive differences in the bilingual experience, group analyses may fall short of capturing the full picture. We argue instead for a more qualitative approach, which takes into account as detailed a picture of bilingual development, daily language habits and, in particular, code-switching habits as possible.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.The bilingual advantage
- 3.The study
- 3.1Participants
- 3.2Materials
- Cognitive tasks
- Language tasks
- 3.3Data analysis
- 4.Results
- Step 1: quantitative group comparison
- Step 2: qualitative individual differences examined
- 5.Discussion
- 6.Conclusion
-
Acknowledgements
-
Notes
-
References
References
Alho, J. M.
(
2008)
Migration, fertility, and aging in stable populations.
Demography, 45(3), 641–650.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Bialystok, E.
(
2009)
Bilingualism: The good, the bad, and the indifferent.
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 12(1), 3–11.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Bialystok, E.
(
2011)
Reshaping the mind: The benefits of bilingualism.
Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 65(4), 229–235.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Bialystok, E., Craik, F. I., Klein, R. & Viswanathan, M.
(
2004)
Bilingualism, aging, and cognitive control: evidence from the Simon task.
Psychology and aging, 19(2), 290.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Bialystok, E., Craik, F. I. & Freedman, M.
(
2007)
Bilingualism as a protection against the onset of symptoms of dementia.
Neuropsychologia, 45(2), 459–464.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Burke, D. M. & Shafto, M. A.
(
2008)
Language and aging. In
F. I. M. Craik &
T. A. Salthouse (eds.),
The handbook of aging and cognition (pp. 373–443). New York: Psychology Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Craik, F. I., Bialystok, E. & Freedman, M.
(
2010)
Delaying the onset of Alzheimer disease Bilingualism as a form of cognitive reserve.
Neurology, 75(19), 1726–1729.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Daneman, M. & Carpenter, P. A.
(
1980)
Individual differences in working memory and reading.
Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 19, 450–466.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
de Bruin, A. & Della Sala, S.
(
2015)
The importance of language use when studying the neuroanatomical basis of bilingualism.
Language, Cognition and Neuroscience.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Dunn, L.M & Dunn, D. M.
(
2007)
The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test – Fourth Edition. Bloomington, MN: NCS Pearson, Inc.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Dunn, L. M., Dunn, L. M., Schlichting, L.
(
2005)
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III-NL. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Pearson.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Festman, J. & Münte, T. F.
(
2012)
Cognitive control in Russian-German bilinguals.
Frontiers in Psychology, 3.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Folstein, M. F., Folstein, S. E. & McHugh, P. R.
(
1975) “
Mini-Mental State”: A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician.
Journal of Psychiatric Research, 12, 189–198.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Gass, S. & Lee, J.
(
2010)
Working memory capacity, inhibitory control, and proficiency in a second language. In
M. S. Schmid &
Lowie, W. (Eds.),
Modeling bilingualism: from structure to chaos (pp. 59–84). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Grant, D. A. & Berg E. A.
(
1948)
A behavioral analysis of degree of reinforcement and ease of shifting to new responses in a Weigl-type card sorting problem.
Journal of Experimental Psychology, 34, 404–411.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Green, D. W.
(
2011)
Language control in different contexts: the behavioral ecology of bilingual speakers.
Frontiers in Psychology 2011(2).
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Green, D. W. & Abutalebi, J.
(
2013)
Language control in bilinguals: The adaptive control hypothesis.
Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 25(5), 515–530.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Grotjahn, R.
(
1987)
How to construct and evaluate a C-test: A discussion of some problems and some statistical analyses.
Quantitative Linguistics, 23, 219–253.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Hartsuiker, R.
(
2015)
Why it is pointless to ask under which specific circumstances the bilingual advantage occurs.
Cortex.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Heaton, R. K., Chelune, G. J., Talley, J. L., Kay, G. C. & Curtiss, G.
(
1993)
Wisconsin card sorting test: manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Keijzer, M.
(
2007)
Last in first out? An investigation of the regression hypothesis in Dutch emigrants in Anglophone Canada. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, PhD dissertation.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Kirk, N. W., Fiala, L., Scott-Brown, K. C. & Kempe, V.
(
2014)
No evidence for reduced Simon cost in elderly bilinguals and bidialectals.
Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 26(6), 640–648.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Kroll, J. F. & Bialystok, E.
(
2013)
Understanding the consequences of bilingualism for language processing and cognition.
Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 25, 497–514.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Luk, G., de Sa, E., & Bialystok, E.
(
2011)
Is there a relation between onset age of bilingualism and enhancement of cognitive control? Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 14, 588–595.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Maguire, E. A., Gadian, D. G., Johnsrude, I. S., Good, C. D., Ashburner, J., Frackowiak, R. S. & Frith, C. D.
(
2000)
Navigation-related structural change in the hippocampi of taxi drivers.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 97(8), 4398–4403.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Oller, J. W. & Streiff, V.
(
1975)
Dictation: A test of grammar-based expectancies. In
R. L. Jones &
B. Spolsky (Eds.),
Testing language proficiency (pp. 71–82). Arlington, VA: Center for Applied Linguistics.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Polk, T. A. & Farah, M. J.
(
1995)
Late experience alters vision.
Nature, 376, 648–649
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Schmid, M. S. & Jarvis, S.
(
2014)
Lexical access and lexical diversity in first language attrition.
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 17(4), 729–748.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Simon, J. R. & Wolf, J. D.
(
1963)
Choice reaction time as a function of angular stimulus-response correspondence and age.
Ergonomics, 6(1), 99–105.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Stroop, J. R.
(
1935) “
Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions.”
Journal of Experimental Psychology, 18, 643–662.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Tao, L., Marzecová, A., Taft, M., Asanowicz, D. & Wodniecka, Z.
(
2011)
The efficiency of attentional networks in early and late bilinguals: the role of age of acquisition.
Frontiers in psychology, 2.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Tzelgov, J., Henik, A. & Leiser, D.
(
1990)
Controlling Stroop interference: Evidence from a bilingual task.
Journal of experimental psychology: Learning, memory, and cognition, 16.5, 760–771.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Valian, V.
(
2015)
Bilingualism and cognition.
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 18, 3–24.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Van den Noort, M. W. M. L., Bosch, P., Haverkort, M. & Hugdahl, K.
(
2008) “
A standard computerized version of the Reading Span Test in different languages.”
European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 24.1: 35–42.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Verreyt, N., Woumans, E., Vandelanotte, D., Szmalec, A. & Duyck Verreyt, N., Woumans, E., Vandelanotte, D., Szmalec, A. & Duyck, W.
(
2016)
Influence of language switching on the bilingual cognitive control advantage.
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 19(1), 181-190
.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Wingfield, A. & Grossman, M.
(
2006)
Language and the aging brain: patterns of neural compensation revealed by functional brain imaging.
Journal of Neurophysiology, 96(6), 2830–2839.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Cited by
Cited by 1 other publications
Liu, Minhua, Ingrid Kurz, Barbara Moser-Mercer & Miriam Shlesinger
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 13 june 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
Any errors therein should be reported to them.