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Article published In: Bilingualism and Executive Function: An interdisciplinary approach
Edited by Irina A. Sekerina and Lauren Spradlin
[Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism 6:5] 2016
► pp. 535–548

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Research on individual differences in executive functions

Implications for the bilingual advantage hypothesis

 | University of Colorado, Boulder
Published online: 10 May 2016
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/lab.15041.fri
Abstract
Executive functions (EFs), such as response inhibition, interference control, and set shifting, are general-purpose control mechanisms that enable individuals to regulate their thoughts and behaviors. Because bilingual individuals use EF-like processes during language control, researchers have become interested in the hypothesis that this use might train EFs, resulting in better performance on non-linguistic EF tasks. Although this bilingual advantage hypothesis seems straightforward to test, it involves a number of important decisions in terms of how to assess bilingualism and EFs. In this article, I focus on the complexity of measuring EFs, drawing on individual differences research (conducted with participants not selected for bilingualism). Specifically, I discuss issues related to (1) the measurement of EFs (particularly the effects of task impurity and unreliability) and (2) the multicomponent nature of EFs. Within each of these topics, I elaborate on consequences for research on bilingual advantages and provide some recommendations.
Article outline
  • 1.Measuring EFs
    • 1.1Individual tasks
    • 1.2Latent variables
    • 1.3Recommendations
  • 2.Multi-component nature of EFs
    • 2.1Unity and diversity
    • 2.2No inhibition-specific ability
    • 2.3Recommendations
  • 3.Summary
  • Acknowledgments
  • References
References (27)
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