Bridget Killmurray, Sarah Bayer, Kathleen Siren, Ph.D.
The Relationship between Bilingualism and Multitasking
Abstract:
Recent research has found that bilingual individuals are more likely to have greater
brain development in varying regions of the brain as compared to monolingual individuals
(García-Pentón et. al., 2014). Through MRI technology, García-Pentón et. al. (2014)
found that two subnetworks were more linked in bilingual individuals as compared to
those who speak one language. These subnetworks were mostly within the left hemisphere,
further indicating a clear connection to language processing (García-Pentón et. al.,
2014). Further research has also found that linguistic multitasking may be related
to understanding of other dual task situations (Poarch & Bialystok, 2015).
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between bilingualism and
multitasking, specifically addressing if individuals who are bilingual have increased
accuracy on a Stroop Task. To examine this, two groups, one being bilingual, and the
other monolingual will complete a Stroop Task to test their ability to manage the
competing stimuli which is controlled by executive functioning skills. We hypothesize
that the bilingual group will outperform the monolingual group. The first step of
the study is to group participants through the use of a survey which includes questions
such as “when did you learn each language that you speak?” and “did this occur simultaneously
or sequentially?” These answers will determine their placement into the monolingual
and bilingual groups. Each participant will individually complete the Stroop Task
which follows these procedures: The participant will be shown a color word such as
red, green, blue, which will be filled in with a differing color (red will be written
in blue). The participant will have to ignore the written word and respond with the
ink color. For example, the word “Red” written in blue would have the correct response
of blue. Responses will be recorded and then later analyzed and compared between the
two groups.
References
García-Pentón, L., Pérez Fernández, A., Iturria-Medina, Y., Gillon-Dowens, M., & Carreiras,
M. (2014). Anatomical connectivity changes in the bilingual brain. NeuroImage, 84,
495–504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.08.064
Poarch, G. J., & Bialystok, E. (2015). Bilingualism as a model for multitasking. Developmental
Review, 35, 113–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2014.12.003