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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: elpolvo who wrote (49125)	6/15/2004 1:38:58 PM
From: abuelita	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 89467

el amigo- we'd better get crackin'. -la amiga Bilingual older adults found to stay sharp longer Being fluently bilingual may help stave off the forgetfulness and inattention associated with aging, according to a new Canadian study. Researchers at York University in Toronto found that older people who had spoken two languages concurrently their whole lives fared markedly better on tests that measure cognitive function. In particular, the bilinguals scored highest on measures of so-called fluid intelligence -- the ability to focus one's attention and to respond to rapidly changing tasks -- said Ellen Bialystok, a professor of psychology at York. The findings, published in today's edition of the Journal of Psychology and Aging, suggest that being bilingual may offer some protection against Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. The research is the latest to make a link between linguistic facility and the health of the brain. It also adds to a growing body of evidence on the physiological and psychological benefits of bilingualism, though most of that research has been done on children. The studies have shown that children who speak two languages or more tend to be more creative, better at problem-solving, and score better on literacy tests. Bilingual children also tend to have an economic advantage as they mature because they have better job prospects. Research has shown that, when bilingual children process information, both languages remain active, even though they use one language at a time. To ensure that the languages remains separate, the brain develops mechanisms to allow the speaker to block out intrusions from the unwanted language. Dr. Bialystok's new research suggests that this ability to compartmentalize and focus carries over the other functions, and that's why bilinguals remains sharper as they age. The research involved a total of 154 bilingual and monolingual adult university graduates living in Toronto and the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The bilingual participants all spoke Tamil and English fluently, and used both languages concurrently on a daily basis since childhood. The subjects underwent a common psychological test known as the Simon task. Using flashing squares on a computer screen, the test can measure reaction time in a variety of ways. On the Simon test, the older bilingual adults (age 60-88) did far better than their monolingual counterparts. In fact, their results were about the same as those of younger (age 30-59) unilinguals. Dr. Bialystok said it is important to stress that the bilingual participants spoke English and Tamil every day, so it is unclear if the apparent benefits would apply to people who speak a second language only occasionally. globeandmail.ca