BILINGUALISM IN EARLY CHILDHOOD: EFFECTS OF ACQUIRING A SECOND LANGUAGE ON COGNITIVE PROCESSES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63330/aurumpub.067-128Keywords:
Bilingualism, Cognitive flexibility, Early childhood, Inhibitory controlAbstract
Bilingualism is the ability of an individual to understand and communicate in two different languages, while language is the means of communication used to express ourselves and create connections with others. Thus, the present study focuses on the theme "Bilingualism in early childhood: effects of second language acquisition on cognitive processes", seeking to answer the following question: can the acquisition of a second language in early childhood result in positive effects on children's cognitive processes? The objective of this work is to analyze the effects of second language acquisition on the cognitive processes of children during early childhood. To this end, a qualitative and descriptive bibliographic research was conducted. Data collection was carried out through the analysis of books and scientific articles, featuring contributions from several authors in the theoretical framework, such as: Bialystok (2022), Mackey and King (2007), Flory (2009), Megale (2019), Grosjean (2010), and Schelleter (2020). Upon completion of the study, it was found that early bilingualism acts as continuous training for the brain. Contrary to common sense, learning two languages from childhood does not generate higher intelligence compared to a monolingual individual; rather, what actually occurs is that bilingual children have an advantage regarding executive functions, characterized by strong cognitive flexibility and sharp inhibitory control.
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