E-Thesis 62 views
Does Welsh-English bilingualism affect cognition across the lifespan? / HANNA THOMAS
Swansea University Author: HANNA THOMAS
DOI (Published version): 10.23889/SUthesis.66576
Abstract
It is currently unclear whether Welsh-English bilingualism affects cognition across the lifespan, particularly cognitive reserve. Therefore, this thesis considered the effect of this unique type of bilingualism on cognition in young and older adults, and across general and specific cognitive process...
| Published: |
Swansea, Wales, UK
2024
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| Institution: | Swansea University |
| Degree level: | Doctoral |
| Degree name: | Ph.D |
| Supervisor: | Williams, Claire ; Tree, Jeremy ; Playfoot, David |
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66576 |
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| Abstract: |
It is currently unclear whether Welsh-English bilingualism affects cognition across the lifespan, particularly cognitive reserve. Therefore, this thesis considered the effect of this unique type of bilingualism on cognition in young and older adults, and across general and specific cognitive processes, in an attempt to locate a possible bilingual advantage that may be a more suitable proxy of CR. Study One found that Welsh-English bilingual older adults performed comparably overall across Welsh and English versions of two major cognitive assessment batteries, and there was also little evidence that Welsh-English bilingualism had either a detrimental or advantageous impact on performance compared to normative data. The second study then moved away from using general cognitive processes to locate a possible bilingual advantage, by considering the impact of bilingualism on semantic cognition. Age and language status were not found to have distinct effects on semantic control, but Welsh-English bilinguals exhibited faster reaction times and increased accuracy when semantic control demands were high. The final study then investigated the impact of age and bilingualism on response consistency in uncertain situations involving general knowledge and semantic categories. Overall, participants were more consistent in their responses to general knowledge than category statements, but neither age nor bilingualism status impacted consistency of responding. In conclusion, the findings of this thesis suggest that Welsh-English bilingualism may impact on, and lead to an advantage in particular aspects of cognition in young and older adults, like semantic control processes, as opposed to an uplift of general cognitive domains. Consequently, a more effective proxy of cognitive reserve might be processes of semantic control. Overall, and even though further research is needed, this thesis highlights the importance of exploring the complex relationship between bilingualism and cognitive functioning to facilitate understanding of how bilingualism may contribute to cognitive reserve. |
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| Item Description: |
A selection of third party content is redacted or is partially redacted from this thesis due to copyright restrictions. |
| Keywords: |
Bilingualism, Welsh-English Bilingualism, Bilingual Advantage, Ageing, Lifespan, Cognition, Cognitive Reserve, Semantic Control, Sematic Cognition, Metacognition, Cognitive Assessments, Normative Data, Test Batteries, ACE-III, RBANS |
| College: |
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences |
| Funders: |
Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol; Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science, Swansea University |