Bilingualism and Intelligence
After 1960s
- There is, then, an impressive array of evidence accumulating that argues plainly against the common sense notion that becoming bilingual, that is, having two strings to one’s bow or two linguistic systems within one’s brain, naturally divides a person’s cognitive resources and reduces his efficiency of thought. Instead, one can now put forward a very persuasive argument that there is a definite cognitive advantage for bilingual children in the domain of cognitive flexibility. (W.E. Lambert, “The effect of bilingualism on the individual: Cognitive and socio-cultural consequences”, 1977)