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Are there cognitive benefits of code-switching in bilingual children? A longitudinal study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2019

Olivia Kuzyk ,
Margaret Friend ,
Vivianne Severdija ,
Pascal Zesiger  and
Diane Poulin-Dubois
Olivia Kuzyk
Affiliation:
Concordia University
Margaret Friend
Affiliation:
San Diego State University
Vivianne Severdija
Affiliation:
Concordia University
Pascal Zesiger
Affiliation:
Université de Genève
Diane Poulin-Dubois*
Affiliation:
Concordia University
*
Address for correspondence: Diane Poulin-Dubois, E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The current study explored bilingual parent and child code-switching patterns over time. Concurrent and predictive models of code-switching behaviour on executive function outcomes were also examined in a sample of 29 French–English bilinguals at 36 (Wave 1) and 61 (Wave 2) months of age. We investigated whether code-switching typology in a single-language context predicted executive function performance at each wave independently, and whether growth in code-switching frequency across waves predicted executive function performance at Wave 2. At both waves, parents and children participated in two free play sessions (in English and French), followed by a battery of executive function tasks administered in the dominant language. Results indicate more frequent code-switching from the non-dominant to the dominant language in children, and that children code-switch to fill lexical gaps. Results also suggest that less frequent code-switching in a single-language context is associated with better inhibitory control skills during the preschool period.

Keywords

code-switchinginhibitory controlinter-sententialintra-sentential
Type
Research Article
Information
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition , Volume 23 , Issue 3 , May 2020 , pp. 542 - 553
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019

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