Ellen Bialystok
Distinguished Research Professor
Department of Psychology
York University, Canada
For fluent bilinguals who regularly use both languages, both languages are
active when either one is being used. To avoid intrusions and produce
fluent speech, a mechanism is needed to control attention to the target
language. This selective attention appears to be achieved through domain
general executive functions, and the constant exercise of these executive
processes accelerates their development in children, enhances their
efficiency in adulthood, and mitigates their decline in aging. These
consequences of bilingualism will be illustrated by describing research that
has been conducted on bilinguals who speak a large variety of languages and
who have been selected from across the lifespan. The results will be
interpreted within a framework that invokes general cognitive processes to
manage attention to two competing linguistic representational systems.
March 28th, 4pm
In the Psychology Department Conference Room
Tufts University
For directions:
http://www.tufts.edu/home/maps/#medford
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Teresa Salvato
Program Coordinator
Center for Cognitive Studies
Tufts University
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