Cognitive Complexity and Control in the Cognitive Ability and Language Development of 3-to 5-Year-Old Korean-Chinese Bilingual Children

3-5세 아동의 이중언어 경험과 인지능력 및 언어 발달에 관한 연구 : 인지적 복잡성에 따른 분석과 통제 이론을 중심으로

In contrast with Zelazo and Frye (1997) who argued that preschool children lack the conscious representation and executive functioning needed to solve problems based on conflicting rules, Bilaystok (1999) identified analysis(representation) and control(selective attention) as components of language processing and has shown that control develops earlier in bilingual than in monolingual children. This study investigated the effects of bilingualism on children's cognitive ability and language development by comparing Korean- Chinese bilingual with Chinese monolingual children in Yanji. Sixty children 3 to 5 years of age in each of the bilingual and the monolingual groups in Yanji, China participated in ths study. Results showed that bilingual were more advanced than monolingual children in solving problems requiring a high level of control, confirming Bialystok's(1999) results.