1. Bilingualism Enriches the Poor: Enhanced Cognitive Control in Low-Income Minority Children
By: GABRIEL ALARCON

2. Study overview
Purpose: To find a bilingual cognitive advantage and it’s specific process, in lower socioeconomic class (SES) of immigrant children
Subjects: Compared 40 bilingual children with 40 monolingual children. Same low SES and cultural background (N. Portugal)
Tests: Measured language proficiency and cognitive abilities
Results: Bilingual advantage in cognitive control only, not affected by socioeconomic status or cultural differences

3. Hypothesis
Bilingualism selectively affects the ability to resolve conflict, an aspect of cognitive control, and that this difference would emerge in carefully matched children from low-SES backgrounds.

4. Possible concerns and confounds
Bilingual executive functioning advantage not found in all studies
Improper SES matching across groups in previous studies
SES may determine access to opportunities that bilingualism presents
Few studies on bilingual children in poverty
No studies matching monolingual vs bilingual immigrants in the SAME SES

5. LUXEMBOURG Trilingual country (Luxembourgish, German, French)
Taught German at age 6 and French at age 7.
Portuguese largest foreign born population (16%)

6. SUBJECTS
40 bilingual (Portuguese and Luxembourgish) children living in Luxembourg
1st and 2nd generation low SES, parents emigrated from Northern Portugal
40 monolingual children (Portuguese) living in Northern Portugal
Samples are from the same region, and sociodemographic background
All 18% below poverty line
99% Caucasian, 1% other
50/50 gender
Samples are 2nd graders

7. Sociodemographic chart

8. Methods M=22 students Equivalent curriculums
Total 121 children assessed, 67 from Luxembourg, and 54 from Portugal
SES criteria matched
Language measures ( 3 test administered)
Cognitive measures (5 test administered)
Terms: Representation and Control

9. Methods: types of test Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices Dot Matrix
Odd One Out
Dot Matrix
Flanker Task
Sky Search Attention Task

10. Results
Vocabulary Test: Bilinguals named more words in Portuguese, but monolinguals performed better on Portuguese single vocabulary test.
Expressive One Word Picture Vocabulary Test: Monolinguals performed better.
Raven’s: Groups did not differ in abstract reasoning.
Odd One Out and Dot Matrix: Groups did not differ on working memory.

11. Results
Sky Search: Bilinguals faster on motor control, but overall scores do not significantly differ.
Flanker: Bilinguals had faster reaction times (RT) in both congruent and incongruent trials.
Between Groups: Bilinguals outperformed on control, but groups performed equally on representation

12. Descriptive statistics

13. Varimax rotation
FACTOR 1 = REPRESENTATION
FACTOR 2 = CONTROL
Between Groups: Bilinguals outperformed on control factor, but groups performed equally on representation.

14. DISCUSSIONS
Control and representation are two specific cognitive factors
Bilingualism only affects control
The bilingual control advantage showed in children in lower SES
Higher demand for control required, the more likely this advantage emerges
Dispels economic or cultural confounds
Data consistent with idea that bilingualism strengthens “control” cognitive abilities because of sorting different lexicons

15. References
Engel de Abreu PMJ, Cruz-Santos A, Tourinho CJ, Martin R, Bialystok E. Bilingualism Enriches the Poor: Enhanced Cognitive Control in Low-Income Minority Children. Psychological science. 2012;23(11): doi: /