Monday, Jun. 21, 2004
Saved In Translation
While two heads may be better than one in solving a problem, two languages may be better in staving off age-related mental decline. Researchers compared monolingual to bilingual adults in a test of cognitive function, and bilingualism seemed to offer a protective benefit. Bear in mind that those bilinguals have used two languages daily since they were children; researchers believe it is the lifelong experience of managing two languages that counts.