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The Impact of Language Proximity on the Bilingual Advantage: A Meta-Analytic Review

Nowicka, Natasha LU (2024) PSYP01 20241
Department of Psychology
Abstract (Swedish)
Bilingualism has become increasingly prevalent globally, with about half of the world's population being bilingual by 2012. This growing trend has prompted cognitive research to explore the effects of bilingualism on executive functions. The Bilingual Advantage (BA) theory posits that bilingual individuals experience enhanced cognitive abilities due to their practice in managing multiple languages. However, the existence of a BA has been debated, with some studies questioning its validity and suggesting publication bias.
To address these inconsistencies, the present study employed a meta-analytic approach that synthesized data for 37 studies generating 224 effect sizes that used executive function tasks to assess the BA. To gain insight... (More)
Bilingualism has become increasingly prevalent globally, with about half of the world's population being bilingual by 2012. This growing trend has prompted cognitive research to explore the effects of bilingualism on executive functions. The Bilingual Advantage (BA) theory posits that bilingual individuals experience enhanced cognitive abilities due to their practice in managing multiple languages. However, the existence of a BA has been debated, with some studies questioning its validity and suggesting publication bias.
To address these inconsistencies, the present study employed a meta-analytic approach that synthesized data for 37 studies generating 224 effect sizes that used executive function tasks to assess the BA. To gain insight into possible causes of the BA, the study expanded the analytical base to a moderator not used in previous studies: language proximity (LP). This moderator was assessed across two domains of executive functioning (inhibition and switching). Additionally, several publication bias tests were utilized.
Our results from the 224 effect sizes found an overall indication of the presence of BA with Hedges’ g of 0.23, which indicates a small but positive effect size. Out of the four moderation tests regarding switching, one was significant. Specifically, with low LP outperform high LP bilinguals on incongruent trials for switching tasks in terms of RT. No significant effects for language moderating for inhibition were found.
Our findings suggest that in order to assess the complexity of the BA, more moderator analysis needs to be done. Our analysis found the presence of publication bias for two out of three tests, thus emphasizing the need for careful consideration of such bias in interpreting the BA. Furthermore, studies should assess LP for larger data sets. (Less)
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author
Nowicka, Natasha LU
supervisor
organization
course
PSYP01 20241
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Bilingual Advantage (BA), Executive Function (EF), Bilingualism, Language Proximity, Meta-analysis
language
English
id
9174955
date added to LUP
2024-10-11 15:35:10
date last changed
2024-10-11 15:35:10
@misc{9174955,
  abstract     = {{Bilingualism has become increasingly prevalent globally, with about half of the world's population being bilingual by 2012. This growing trend has prompted cognitive research to explore the effects of bilingualism on executive functions. The Bilingual Advantage (BA) theory posits that bilingual individuals experience enhanced cognitive abilities due to their practice in managing multiple languages. However, the existence of a BA has been debated, with some studies questioning its validity and suggesting publication bias.
To address these inconsistencies, the present study employed a meta-analytic approach that synthesized data for 37 studies generating 224 effect sizes that used executive function tasks to assess the BA. To gain insight into possible causes of the BA, the study expanded the analytical base to a moderator not used in previous studies: language proximity (LP). This moderator was assessed across two domains of executive functioning (inhibition and switching). Additionally, several publication bias tests were utilized. 
Our results from the 224 effect sizes found an overall indication of the presence of BA with Hedges’ g of 0.23, which indicates a small but positive effect size. Out of the four moderation tests regarding switching, one was significant. Specifically, with low LP outperform high LP bilinguals on incongruent trials for switching tasks in terms of RT. No significant effects for language moderating for inhibition were found. 
Our findings suggest that in order to assess the complexity of the BA, more moderator analysis needs to be done. Our analysis found the presence of publication bias for two out of three tests, thus emphasizing the need for careful consideration of such bias in interpreting the BA. Furthermore, studies should assess LP for larger data sets.}},
  author       = {{Nowicka, Natasha}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Impact of Language Proximity on the Bilingual Advantage: A Meta-Analytic Review}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}