Does Bilingualism Influence Cognitive Aging?

Recent evidence suggests a positive impact of bilingualism on cognition, including later onset of dementia. However, monolinguals and bilinguals might have different baseline cognitive ability. We present the first study examining the effect of bilingualism on later-life cognition controlling for ch...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Bak, Thomas H, Nissan, Jack J, Allerhand, Michael M, Deary, Ian J
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: BlackWell Publishing Ltd 2014
Materias:
Brief Communications
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4320748/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24890334
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ana.24158
Descripción
Sumario:Recent evidence suggests a positive impact of bilingualism on cognition, including later onset of dementia. However, monolinguals and bilinguals might have different baseline cognitive ability. We present the first study examining the effect of bilingualism on later-life cognition controlling for childhood intelligence. We studied 853 participants, first tested in 1947 (age = 11 years), and retested in 2008–2010. Bilinguals performed significantly better than predicted from their baseline cognitive abilities, with strongest effects on general intelligence and reading. Our results suggest a positive effect of bilingualism on later-life cognition, including in those who acquired their second language in adulthood.

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