WK2 L4: Readings

• What is the title of the article discussed in the study material?

  The development of two types of inhibitory control in monolingual and bilingual children
• What advantage do bilingual children have according to previous research?


  Bilingual children excel in tasks requiring inhibitory control to ignore misleading perceptual cues
• What did Study 1 replicate regarding bilingual children's performance?


  Study 1 showed that bilingual children perform the Simon task more rapidly than monolinguals under high inhibitory control demands
• What types of tasks were compared in the studies regarding bilingual children's performance?

  • Tasks requiring inhibition of attention to a specific cue (e.g., Simon task)
  • Tasks requiring inhibition of a habitual response (e.g., day-night Stroop task)
• What was the result of the studies comparing bilingual and monolingual children on attention control tasks?


  Bilingual children maintained their advantage on attention control tasks but showed no advantage on response inhibition tasks
• What is the significance of the processing differences found between monolinguals and bilinguals?


  These differences are not confined to linguistic tasks but extend to various nonverbal problems
• What are some nonverbal tasks where bilingual children have shown advantages?

  • Piaget’s water level task
  • Dimensional change card sort (DCCS)
  • Ambiguous figure reversal task
  • Appearance-reality problem
• What cognitive ability do bilingual children demonstrate in resolving perceptual conflict?


  Bilingual children show better ability to resolve perceptual conflict and respond based on a non-salient target cue
• How does bilingualism influence the development of executive functioning in children?


  Bilingualism influences the development of executive functioning and inhibitory control in children
• What developmental psychopathologies are linked to inefficient inhibition?


  Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tourette syndrome, and autistic spectrum disorder
• What is the primary hypothesis of the studies regarding bilingual children and the Simon task?


  • Bilingual children will perform the Simon task better than monolinguals
  • This advantage should be evident in both congruent and incongruent trials
  • Reducing processing demands should equalize performance between groups
• How were the processing demands of the Simon task manipulated in Study 1?


  By creating three versions of the task that differed in the delay between stimulus presentation and response opportunity
• What is the expected outcome of inserting a delay before responding in the Simon task?


  The delay is expected to reduce the bilingual advantage and equalize performance between monolingual and bilingual children
• What is the Simon effect?


  The reliable increase in response time to an incongruent trial relative to a congruent trial
• What does the Simon task measure?


  The Simon task measures stimulus-response incompatibility and attentional processes
• How do bilinguals perform on the Simon task compared to monolinguals across different age groups?


  Bilinguals perform more efficiently than monolinguals, with advantages increasing with age
• What brain regions are activated differently in bilinguals compared to monolinguals during the Simon task?


  Bilinguals show activation in regions overlapping with Broca’s area, while monolinguals do not
• What are the implications of the studies on bilingualism and inhibitory control?


  • Bilingualism may enhance cognitive control and executive functions
  • Understanding the development of inhibitory control can inform educational practices
  • Insights into cognitive processes can contribute to developmental psychology
• What was the primary hypothesis regarding bilingual children in the study?


  Bilingual children will perform the Simon task better than monolinguals.
• What evidence was used to support the hypothesis about bilingual children's performance?


  Faster reaction times in the Simon task.
• What effect did inserting a delay before responding have on performance?


  It should produce equal performance by monolingual and bilingual children.
• What were the three versions of the Simon task based on?


  • Immediate response task
  • Short delay task (500 ms)
  • Long delay task (1000 ms)
• How many children participated in the study?

  34 children.
• What was the mean age of the monolingual children?


  4 years and 7 months.
• What was the mean age of the bilingual children?


  5 years and 0 months.
• From where were the monolingual children recruited?


  Childcare centers.
• What language were the bilingual children fluent in?


  French and English.
• What was the purpose of the Forward Digit Span test?


  To assess short-term memory for comparability of the two groups.
• What does the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test Revised (PPVT-R) measure?


  English receptive vocabulary.
• What was the scoring method for the PPVT-R?


  The number of correct responses is calculated as the raw score and converted to a standard score.
• What is the purpose of the Simon task?


  To measure reaction times based on color and position cues.
• How were the response keys labeled in the Simon task?


  With red and blue stickers corresponding to the colored squares.
• What was the time limit for trials in the immediate Simon task?


  5000 ms.
• What were the results of the forward digit span test for monolingual and bilingual children?


  Monolinguals scored 6.1 and bilinguals scored 5.9, which was not significant.
• What was the significant difference found in the PPVT-R scores between the two groups?


  Monolinguals scored 111.4 while bilinguals scored 89.6.
• What was the mean percentage of errors in the Simon tasks?


  Ranged from 2% to 5%.
• What was the outcome of the two-way analysis for language group and congruence in the immediate task?


  Bilingual children responded more rapidly than monolinguals.
• What did the results indicate about the bilingual advantage in the Simon task?


  The bilingual advantage was found in the immediate task but not in the delay tasks.
• What are the two types of inhibitory control distinguished by Bunge et al.?


  • Interference suppression: Involves managing conflicting dimensions in bivalent displays.
  • Response inhibition: Involves overriding habitual responses in univalent displays.
• How do bilinguals manage the conflict between their two linguistic systems?


  By attending to the relevant language system and ignoring the unwanted system.