Add Bilingualism to the Mix: L2 Proficiency Modulates the Effect of Cognitive Reserve Proxies on Executive Performance in Healthy Aging

Gallo, Federico, Kubiak, Joanna and Myachykov, Andriy (2022) Add Bilingualism to the Mix: L2 Proficiency Modulates the Effect of Cognitive Reserve Proxies on Executive Performance in Healthy Aging. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. p. 780261. ISSN 1664-1078

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.780261

Abstract

We investigated the contribution of bilingual experience to the development of cognitive reserve (CR) when compared with other, traditionally more researched, CR proxies, in a sample of cognitively healthy senior (60 +) bilingual speakers. Participants performed in an online study where, in addition to a wide inventory of factors known to promote CR, we assessed several factors related to their second language (L2) use. In addition, participants’ inhibitory executive control was measured via the Flanker Task. We used Structural Equation Modeling to derive a latent composite measure of CR informed by traditional CR proxies (i.e., occupational complexity, marital status, current and retrospective socio-economic status, physical exercise, perceived positive support, maximal educational attainment, frequency of leisure activities and extent of social network). We examined whether bilingualism may act as a mediator of the effects of such proxies on cognitive performance therefore assessing the unique contribution of dual language use to CR. First, our analyses revealed facilitatory effects of both L2 age of acquisition and L2 proficiency on the executive performance. Second, our analyses confirmed the moderating role of bilingual experience on the relationship between other factors known to promote CR and cognitive integrity, revealing a strong contribution by bilingualism to CR development. Our findings provide further support to the notion that bilingualism plays an important role in mitigating cognitive decline and promoting successful aging.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Funding information: The work discussed in the manuscript has been supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research Grant (project no. 19- 313-51023) awarded to the National Research University Higher School of Economics.
Uncontrolled Keywords: bilingualism, cognitive aging, cognitive reserve, cognitive reserve proxies, executive functions
Subjects: C800 Psychology
Department: Faculties > Health and Life Sciences > Psychology
Depositing User: John Coen
Date Deposited: 15 Feb 2022 10:03
Last Modified: 15 Feb 2022 10:15
URI: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/48465

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