Age and Attentional Control in Spanish–English Bilingual Preschoolers

• In Event: 73.062 - Poster Session 17
  In Poster Session: 73.062-2 - Motivational and Cognitive Processes: Language, Literacy, Communication, and Reasoning

Abstract

Early executive function (EF) capabilities impact children’s academic performance and long-term learning trajectories. EF is influenced by a wide range of experiential variables including language background. We examined the role of bilingual experience in attentional control in preschoolers (n=58) attending government-subsidized preschool. We found a significant interaction of bilingual home language use with years of schooling in response inhibition (Figure 1) and a main effect of age in interference suppression (Figure 2) tasks. Results suggest the allocation of cognitive resources during typical development varies according to persistent environmental task demands such as managing multiple languages in different contexts (e.g., school vs. home). Bilingual experience may interact with EF development, creating distinct cognitive profiles that affect classroom learning.

Authors

• Sibylla Leon Guerrero, Harvard University

• Sara Ashley Smith, California State University - Hayward

• Sarah Huckabay Surrain, Harvard University

• Gigi Luk, Harvard Graduate School of Education