Essay: Benefits of young bilinguals in working memory

Working memory (WM) is a sort of mental workspace that people use for many aspects of everyday life. It appears that WM is one of the most important cognitive mechanisms linked with executive function and various other cognitive abilities. For example, research has continued to demonstrate that good performance on WM has been associated with better controlled attention, while deficits of WM are linked with learning difficulties. Given the importance of WM on cognitive performance, research has begun to investigate some of the factors that could influence good WM and cognitive performance. More recent studies have suggested the interaction between WM and bilingual abilities, and have also proposed the bilingual advantage on WM when compared to monolinguals. However, findings of the bilingual advantage on WM have been rather conflicting. Some studies have failed to find any bilingual advantage on WM performances when compared to monolinguals. As findings are currently mixed, the extent of the bilingual advantage on WM is questionable. For this assignment, you are to define Working Memory, and briefly describe why and how the bilingual experience may influence WM. You will also need to find out how WM is typically measured for young children. And lastly, you will need to address the debate on whether bilingualism provides an advantage in WM performances. Try to address the debate by examining from at least two different bilingual contexts (English-Mandarin bilingual / French-English bilingual / Dutch-French bilingual etc.) Word Limit: the minimum 900 and the maximum 1,100 words You are required to write in APA format. You are also expected to write comprehensively and concisely. You are required to use at least 5 sources from RESEARCH JOURNAL ARTICLES and to provide references in APA format. Other types of sources such as internet blogs, magazines, and newspapers will NOT be accepted. You are required to complete an essay and turn it in to your lecturer by the due date above for hardcopy as well as softcopy submitted via SafeAssign. Late assignment will be penalised (20% deduction of the mark). Your assignment must be typed-written (12 pt, Arial font with line spacing at 1.15, margins 2.54cm for all four sides).