Browsing by Subject "vaihtaminen"

Bilingualism has been proposed to practice general executive functions. The hypothesis is based on the assumption that using two languages takes advantage of some of the same processes as general executive functions. The objective of this thesis was to describe by means of literature review the present knowledge about the connection between language switching and switching that is under general executive functions. The review considered whether language switching is based on the same processes as general executive functions and whether the amount of language switching is related to executive functions. The review was limited to behavioral studies. The overlap of processes used in language switching and general executive functions has been studied by comparing the efficiency of switching in a task measuring language switching and a task measuring the switching component of executive functions. The results of the literature review were not consistent. In some studies, the results indicate that language switching and the switching component of general executive functions share processes whereas other studies did not find a connection. It is possible that age of language acquisition and level of fluency may affect the overlap between these processes. The connection between the amount of language switching and general executive functions has been studied by measuring the amount of language switching in everyday life and looking at its connection to the efficiency of switching in a task measuring the switching component of executive functions. The results of the review are conflicting. Nevertheless, most studies indicate that the overall amount of everyday language switching does not seem to be related to the switching component of executive functions. Some studies, however, suggest that if the quality of language switching and cognitive load is taken into account a connection to the switching component of executive functions can be observed.