The Cognitive and Neurological Benefits of Multilingualism

Recent studies indicate that when a bilingual individual hears a word, their brain simultaneously activates words from both languages. Evidence of this comes from eye-tracking studies. For instance, a Russian-English bilingual asked to pick up a marker may momentarily glance at a stamp because the Russian word "marka" is phonetically similar to "marker" in English. This shows how bilingual brains handle linguistic overlap between languages.

While navigating between two languages can sometimes lead to slower recall or tip-of-the-tongue moments, it also trains the brain in conflict resolution. The constant switching between languages enhances a bilingual's ability to manage tasks that involve cognitive competition, such as the Stroop task, where participants are asked to name the font color of a word that either matches or contradicts the word itself. Bilinguals typically outperform monolinguals, demonstrating their superior cognitive flexibility.

Interestingly, the bilingual advantage reaches beyond language processing to areas of the brain responsible for sensory perception. When tested in a noise-free environment, bilingual and monolingual adolescents show similar brain responses to simple speech sounds. However, when background noise is introduced, bilinguals display a stronger neural response, indicating an enhanced ability to distinguish important sounds from distracting noise. This heightened auditory processing is linked to the bilingual brain's frequent need to filter out unnecessary information that is not relevant to the language they are currently listening to.

The enhanced cognitive and sensory processing abilities of bilinguals may explain why they tend to learn additional languages more easily than monolinguals. Their experience in managing multiple languages gives them a distinct edge in focusing on new linguistic inputs while minimizing interference from previously learned languages. This could be a key factor in why multilingual adults often outperform monolinguals when acquiring a third language.

Bilingualism not only benefits young people but also offers long-term cognitive advantages, particularly in aging individuals. Research shows that bilingualism helps preserve memory and mental flexibility in older adults. A study of over 200 Alzheimer's patients demonstrated that bilingual individuals began to show symptoms of the disease approximately five years later than their monolingual counterparts. What's more, even after the disease had progressed, bilingual patients exhibited more extensive damage, yet their cognitive abilities remained relatively intact. This suggests that bilingualism enhances brain resilience, enabling it to function efficiently despite physical deterioration.>> Form đăng kí giải đề thi thật IELTS 4 kĩ năng kèm bài giải bộ đề 100 đề PART 2 IELTS SPEAKING quý đang thi (update hàng tuần) từ IELTS TUTOR

The cognitive benefits of bilingualism appear to start from infancy. One study involving seven-month-old babies from both monolingual and bilingual households taught the infants to expect a puppet on one side of the screen after hearing a sound. When the puppet's location was switched, only the bilingual babies successfully adapted to the new rule. This early demonstration of cognitive flexibility suggests that the mental advantages of bilingualism emerge very early and extend far beyond language processing.

Recent statistics reveal that most of the global population speaks more than one language, a stark contrast to the past when multilingual children were often thought to face challenges compared to their monolingual peers. Advances in research technology over the past few decades have allowed scientists to delve deeper into how multilingualism affects the brain, leading to the discovery of several cognitive advantages.

Questions 1-10

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in the Reading Passage?

In boxes 1-10 on your answer sheet, write

YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

1. Multilingual children were always seen as having an advantage over monolingual peers in the past.
2. Language co-activation in bilinguals is triggered only when they consciously switch between languages.
3. Bilinguals struggle more with naming pictures than monolinguals, but they are better at resolving conflicts in cognitive tasks.
4. The Stroop Task is a test that only bilingual individuals are able to excel in.
5. The heightened sensory processing ability in bilinguals is evident even in completely quiet environments.
6. Bilinguals have no cognitive advantage over monolinguals when switching between tasks that involve categorization.
7. One of the reasons why bilinguals learn additional languages better than monolinguals is their enhanced ability to block out interference from familiar languages.
8. Bilingualism is believed to delay the onset of symptoms in Alzheimer's disease by protecting the brain from physical damage.
9. In a study involving infants, the monolingual babies eventually adapted to the puppet's new location, but at a slower pace than the bilingual babies.
10. The study involving infants supports the idea that cognitive flexibility in bilinguals is related solely to language learning abilities.

1. NO
2. NO
3. YES
4. NO>> IELTS  TUTOR  hướng  dẫn PHÂN TÍCH ĐỀ THI 30/5/2020 IELTS WRITING TASK 2 (kèm bài sửa HS đạt 6.5)
5. NO
6. NO
7. YES
8. NO
9. NOT GIVEN
10. NO