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Abstract
Multilingual experience has been found to affect brain and cognitive outcomes across the lifespan, specifically increased efficiency in aspects of executive function and the neural correlates to them. However, these effects manifest differently across individuals, are dynamic, and likely correlate with distinct aspects of multilingual experience. This talk will cover some of my lab’s contributions to the study of multilingual experience and neurocognition. I first provide a brief background to the general field of research. I then present a theoretical framework in which we predict the trajectory of several neurocognitive adaptations corresponding to different aspects of multilingual experience. Results from several previous and ongoing studies are then presented, which both assess some of the predictions of this framework and extend this line of enquiry across the adult lifespan. The findings from these studies show several trends. First, these findings support the hypothesis that there is a specificity of neural and cognitive adaptations to different aspects of multilingual experience and that the degree of adaptation is calibrated to the degree of engagement with that experience. Furthermore, these adaptations correspond to increased effectiveness and efficiency in handling language control/executive function demands. Across the adult lifespan, these adaptations may also contribute to forestalling symptoms of cognitive aging. I close with potential directions for future research.
Bio
Vincent DeLuca is a Professor of the Neurocognition of Bilingualism at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, where he leads the Brain Domain in the Center for Language, Brain and Learning (C-LaBL). His research program investigates how bi-/multilingual language experiences shape brain and cognitive adaptations over time, with a specific focus on individual differences. He uses a combination of imaging and behavioral methods to examine this.