ADD ANI AS A TRUSTED SOURCE
googleads
ANI Logo
Menu
Science

Study: Growing up in bilingual home has lasting advantages

London [UK], January 22 (ANI): A new research has found that children who grow up in a bilingual home can turn out to have unexpected cognitive benefits later in their lives.

ANI Jan 22, 2021 22:31 IST googleads

Representative Image

London [UK], January 22 (ANI): A new research has found that children who grow up in a bilingual home can turn out to have unexpected cognitive benefits later in their lives.
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, demonstrates for the first time that adults who acquired their second language as a young child (early bilinguals) are quicker at shifting attention and at detecting visual changes when compared to adults who learnt their second language later in life (late bilinguals).
Led by Dr Dean D'Souza of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), the research saw 127 adults take part in two separate experiments. The first involved watching pictures on a screen, with one picture gradually changing and the other remaining the same. Early bilinguals noticed these changes much faster than late bilinguals.
The second experiment found that early bilinguals were better at controlling their attention. Specifically, they were quicker at disengaging attention from one picture in order to shift their focus to another.
Dr D'Souza and colleagues had previously found that infants raised in bilingual homes adapt to their more varied and unpredictable language environment by shifting their visual attention faster and more frequently. The findings of this new study suggest that these adaptations acquired as bilingual infants continue into adulthood.
Dr D'Souza, a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: "This study is an exciting extension of our previous research, which suggested that infants raised in bilingual homes adapt to their more complex language environments by switching attention faster and more frequently."
This adaptation may help them to take advantage of multiple sources of visual information, such as mouth movements, facial expressions, and subtle gestures, ultimately helping them to learn multiple languages. The findings from this new research with bilingual adults suggest that some of these adaptations, including being quicker at shifting attention, are maintained into adulthood. (ANI)

Get the App

What to Read Next

Science

Amphibians bounce-back from Earth’s greatest mass extinction

Amphibians bounce-back from Earth’s greatest mass extinction

Researchers at the University of Bristol discovered that ancient frog ancestors survived the biggest mass extinction of species by eating on freshwater prey that evaded terrestrial predators.

Read More
Science

Scientists use AI to better understand nanoparticles: Study

Scientists use AI to better understand nanoparticles: Study

A group of scientists has created a way to illuminate the dynamic behavior of nanoparticles, which are essential components in the production of pharmaceuticals, electronics, and industrial and energy-conversion materials.

Read More
Science

New technology enhances gravitational-wave detection: Study

New technology enhances gravitational-wave detection: Study

A team of physicists led by Jonathan Richardson of the University of California, Riverside, demonstrated how new optical technology can extend the detection range of gravitational-wave observatories such as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO, and pave the way for future observatories.

Read More
Science

Astronomers find the smallest main-belt asteroids ever detected:

Astronomers find the smallest main-belt asteroids ever detected:

The majority of known asteroids orbit inside the main asteroid belt, which is positioned between Mars and Jupiter at an average distance of around 250 million km from Earth. Since the discovery of the first asteroid in 1801, about 750.000 asteroids have been identified, primarily in the last decade thanks to several optical surveys that examine the sky on clear nights.

Read More
Science

Study finds connection between quantum theory, information theory

Study finds connection between quantum theory, information theory

"Our results have no clear or direct application right now. It's basic research that lays the foundation for future technologies in quantum information and quantum computers. There's enormous potential for complete discoveries in many different research fields," said Guilherme B Xavier, a researcher in quantum communication at Linkoping University, Sweden.

Read More
Science

When devices can read human emotions without a camera: Study

When devices can read human emotions without a camera: Study

Tokyo Metropolitan University researchers employed long-term skin conductance measurements to distinguish between emotions. Volunteers were given videos representing frightening scenarios, family bonding, and humour, while their skin conductance was measured.

Read More
Science

'Nuroscience study results can be better predicted by AI'

'Nuroscience study results can be better predicted by AI'

Large language models, a type of AI that analyses text, can anticipate the results of proposed neuroscience studies more correctly than human experts, according to a new study led by UCL (University College London) researchers.

Read More
Science

Thermal imaging may help fruits, veggies stay fresher longer: Study

Thermal imaging may help fruits, veggies stay fresher longer: Study

Before your favourite produce arrives at the grocery store, it must be carefully harvested and stored for extended periods of time. A recent University of Georgia assessment argues that new temperature sensing devices could make that procedure considerably easier, as agricultural issues are exacerbated by changing climates.

Read More
Science

Study reveals how reminders can eliminate age-related memory loss

Study reveals how reminders can eliminate age-related memory loss

A recent study from UT Arlington showed that setting reminders can reverse some age-related memory deficits. The findings represent a significant breakthrough in tackling the cognitive issues that older persons confront, particularly in the context of prospective memory, which is the ability to remember to complete an intended activity at the appropriate time, such as taking medication or attending appointments.

Read More
Science

Bacterial vaccine demonstrates potential as cancer treatment

Bacterial vaccine demonstrates potential as cancer treatment

Columbia researchers developed probiotic bacteria that train the immune system to eliminate cancer cells, paving the way for a new class of cancer vaccinations that take advantage of bacteria's innate tumour-targeting abilities. These microbial cancer vaccines can be tailored to each person's specific original tumour and metastases, perhaps preventing future recurrences.

Read More