Cognitive skills differentially influence narrative macrostructure in bilinguals’ L1 and L2

Abstract

This study explored cognitive effects on narrative macrostructure in both languages of 38 Russian-German bilinguals aged 4;6 to 5;1‚ while controlling for demographic factors (sex, socioeconomic status) and language proficiency. Macrostructure was operationalised as story structure (SS) and story complexity (SC) using the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives. Nonverbal cognitive subtasks assessing shifting (Figure Ground), visual memory (Form Completion), and inhibition (Attention Divided) were administered. None of the cognitive skills influenced SS; however, they differentially impacted SC: Figure Ground affected Russian SC, while Form Completion affected German SC. Findings advance our understanding of how cognition affects oral narratives in bilingual preschoolers.