Bilinguals VS Monolinguals
Behavioral and Social Sciences- Grade:
- 10
- Teacher:
- Patricia Garcia
In this experiment, adolescents will compete against each other to see who has higher cognitive speed: monolinguals or bilinguals. This will be done through the use of an online cognitive speed test. The online test includes two sections: one for concentration and working memory ability (NBM) and the other for processing speed (DSM). This experiment is going to be performed to see if there are any mental advantages to learning a second language and if so how enhanced these advantages are. This experiment is important because it can inform parents to teach their children a second language since cognitive speed helps you think, read, learn, reason, pay attention, and remember. This means that it will lead to more innovative and intelligent generations in the U.S. that will create a better future for everyone. In addition, it can also help determine if disorders and diseases that have to do with concentration, working memory, and processing speed, all components of cognitive speed, can be improved by indulging in a second language. Research shows that people with autism, dementia, and Alzheimer's benefit from learning a second language because it can make the brain better at multitasking and form a cognitive reserve that strengthens the brain's circuits, helping to fight off the initial symptoms of dementia and Alzheimers. Our project would help this research by showing that the symptoms (struggle concentrating, memory loss) can potentially be reduced by teaching adolescents two languages early on, which will help their cognitive speed for the future and improve their overall state of mind.