Investigating the effects of bilingualism/multilingualism and musical training on Executive Functioning

Molloy, Keith (2022) Investigating the effects of bilingualism/multilingualism and musical training on Executive Functioning. Undergraduate thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

Aims: The current study sought to provide further insight into the relationships between both bilingualism and musical training and the long speculated positive effects both domains have on the efficiency of the executive functioning (EF) system. The study examined differences in working memory (WM) and inhibitory control performance between 3 groups: bilinguals/multilinguals and monolinguals, formally trained musicians and non-musicians, bilinguals who had formal music training experience and monolinguals who had formal music training experience. The relationship between age of secondary language acquisition and stroop scores was also investigated.

Method: A questionnaire concerning demographic, language ability, and musical ability was first administered to participants (n = 44), after which participants proceed to complete the Stroop Task to assess inhibitory control performance, then the Digit Span forwards and backwards tasks to assess WM.

Results: Results did not yield significant effects across any of the EF tests between groups. No significant correlation was found between age of language acquisition and stroop scores.

Conclusion: Though the current study failed to yield significant results, an analysis of the strengths and limitations of the current study design can be said to contribute to existing literature. Future analysis of both L2 acquisition and musical training on EF’s was proposed based on previous literature that influenced study design. Future analysis of the effects of both bilingualism and music training on EF’s was also proposed due to the lack of research surrounding this combination.

Item Type:	Thesis (Undergraduate)
Subjects:	M Music and Books on Music > M Music P Language and Literature > P Philology. Linguistics B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > Psychology > Cognitive psychology
Divisions:	School of Business > BA (Honours) in Psychology
Depositing User:	Clara Chan
Date Deposited:	21 Sep 2022 16:26
Last Modified:	21 Sep 2022 16:26
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/5788

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