Working memory development in monolingual and bilingual children

Abstract

Two studies are reported comparing the performance of monolingual and bilingual children on tasks requiring different levels of working memory. In the first study, 56 5-year-olds performed a Simon-type task that manipulated working memory demands by comparing conditions based on two rules and four rules and manipulated conflict resolution demands by comparing conditions that included conflict with those that did not. Bilingual children responded faster than monolinguals on all conditions and bilinguals were more accurate than monolinguals in responding to incongruent trials, confirming an advantage in aspects of executive functioning. In the second study, 125 children 5- or 7-year-olds performed a visuospatial span task that manipulated other executive function components through simultaneous or sequential presentation of items. Bilinguals outperformed monolinguals overall, but again there were larger language group effects in conditions that included more demanding executive function requirements. Together, the studies show an advantage for bilingual children in working memory that is especially evident when the task contains additional executive function demands.

Figure 1

Pictures Task. (a) Procedure employed in the pictures task, center conditions. (b) Type of trials in the conflict conditions. (c) Stimuli and type of trials in the conflict conditions by memory load.

Figure 2

Mean response times (and standard error) by language group for the Pictures Task (in milliseconds) in Study 1 for (a) the non conflict block based on central presentation and (b) the conflict block based on side presentation of stimuli.

Figure 3

Sample items for the (a) simultaneous and (b) sequential presentation of the Frogs Matrices Task in Study 2.