Abstract
Bilingual inhibitory control advantages are well established. An open question is whether inhibitory superiority also extends to visual perceptual phenomena that involve inhibitory processes. This research used ambiguous figures to assess inhibitory bilingual superiority in 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old mono- and bilingual children (N=141). Findings show that bilinguals across all ages are superior in inhibiting a prevalent interpretation of an ambiguous figure to perceive the alternative interpretation. In contrast, mono- and bilinguals revealed no differences in understanding that an ambiguous figure can have two distinct referents. Together, these results suggest that early bilingual inhibitory control superiority is also evident in visual perception. Bilinguals' conceptual understanding of figure ambiguity is comparable to that of their monolingual peers.
DOI
10.1016/j.jecp.2014.03.004
Publication Date
2014-10-01
Publication Title
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
Volume
126
Publisher
Elsevier BV
ISSN
0022-0965
Embargo Period
2024-11-22
First Page
412
Last Page
419
Recommended Citation
Wimmer, M., & Marx, C. (2014) 'Inhibitory processes in visual perception: A bilingual advantage', Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 126, pp. 412-419. Elsevier BV: Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2014.03.004
