Ecological Validity in Bilingualism Research and the Bilingual Advantage

• Published in: Trends in cognitive sciences Vol. 22; no. 12; pp. 1117 - 1126
• Main Authors: Blanco-Elorrieta, Esti, Pylkkänen, Liina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2018
• Subjects: bilingual language control; conversational context; executive control; language switching; bilingual language control; executive control; conversational context; language switching
• ISSN: 1364-6613; 1879-307X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2018.10.001

Traditional research in bilingualism has consistently found that switching languages is effortful, placing demands on neural systems of cognitive control. This finding runs counter to most bilinguals’ intuitive experience. We review a body of recent work showing that, in fact, when bilinguals switch languages voluntarily, both the behavioral cost of switching and the associated recruitment of cognitive control areas are greatly reduced or completely eliminated. This suggests that switching languages is not inherently effortful, but rather, particular communicative demands may make it costly. The new evidence also challenges the basic premise underlying the bilingual advantage hypothesis. We articulate a more nuanced version of it, in which the advantage is limited to bilinguals who frequently switch languages based on external constraints. Results of traditional language switching tasks have suggested that language switching is behaviorally effortful and requires increased involvement of cognitive control areas. Recent evidence has challenged this conclusion, showing that when bilinguals are allowed to switch languages freely, this cognitive effort and behavioral cost are either greatly reduced or completely eliminated. These findings show that switching languages is not inherently effortful, but rather particular circumstances and communicative demands may make it costly. The new evidence also challenges the basic premise of the hypothesis that bilingualism leads to executive control advantages due to frequent use of control mechanisms in language switching. We articulate a more nuanced, experience-dependent, version of this hypothesis, in which the advantage is limited to bilinguals who frequently switch languages based on external constraints.