Study focuses on the minds of bilinguals

Published on Wednesday 18 February 2009 08:58

A NEW study by researchers in Edinburgh could give teachers valuable insights into the way bilingual children think.

The study builds on previous research which shows that bilingual speakers find it easier to block out potential distractions, enabling them to focus better on a range of tasks.

It also reveals that bilinguals may take longer to disengage from the task they are focusing on, though they are only a split- second slower than monolinguals in switching attention to a new task.

With the number of bilingual families in the UK growing rapidly through immigration, and more than 160 languages spoken in Scotland's schools, researchers say it is more important than ever that teachers understand the benefits of bilingualism.

The findings, from a multidisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Edinburgh, including neuroscientists and linguists, are soon to be published in the journal Psychonomic Bulletin and Review.

Antonella Sorace, a professor of developmental linguistics, said: "Many parents and teachers still think that bilingualism can cause confusion. In reality, there are no such drawbacks."