3-071 - Exploring the Bilingual Executive Function Advantage in Spanish- and English-Speaking Dual Language Learners

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

An emergent body of literature suggests that dual language learners (DLLs), children who learn a second language during early childhood, outperform their monolingual peers in executive function (EF) tasks (Bialystok, Craik, Green, & Gollan, 2009). Findings suggest that increased EF, an important component of school readiness (Blair, 2002), may help compensate for DLLs’ lower language skills (Carlson & Meltzoff, 2008). Most extant research examining EF in DLLs is focused on middle-income samples, limiting its applicability to many DLL populations in the U.S. In this symposium, we explore EF development in low-income Spanish- and English-speaking DLLs residing in the U.S.
Authors of the first paper examine EF performance across three groups of children: monolinguals, balanced bilinguals (similarly fluent in both languages), and dual language learners (still developing their second language). Findings reveal that both groups of children with second language experience outperform monolinguals in several EF tasks. The second paper investigates relations between EF and academic outcomes in DLLs. Findings show that associations between EF and academic outcomes vary depending on the language of EF task administration. The third paper examines the association between EF and science knowledge in DLLs, showing that EF mediates the relation between degree of bilingualism and science knowledge. The final paper explores the association between maternal bilingual language and DLLs’ EF. Together, these four papers advance our understanding of EF in Spanish- and English-speaking DLLs in the U.S., providing insight into these children’s cognitive and academic development and potential implications for their early education.

Sub Unit

• Language, Communication

Chair

• Clancy Blair, New York University

Individual Presentations

• Relations between Executive Functioning and Second Language Fluency for Young English-Spanish Bilingual Children - Presenting Author: Lindsey A Hutchison, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services; Danielle L Mead, George Mason University; Adam Winsler, George Mason Univ

• Executive Function and Academic Outcomes in Dual Language Learners - Presenting Author: M. Paula Daneri, New York University; Clancy Blair, New York University

• Effects of Bilingualism on Executive Functioning and Science Knowledge in Spanish- and English-Speaking Head Start Preschoolers - Presenting Author: Lisa White, Univ of Miami; Daryl B Greenfield, Univ of Miami

• Mothers' Spanish-English Talk and their Young Children's Inhibitory Control - Presenting Author: Jenessa Malin, University of Maryland, College Park; Daniela Aldoney, University of Maryland, College Park; Natasha Cabrera, University of Maryland