Overly-Optimism: Bilingual Effects on Cognitive Enhancement

The purpose of this review was to critically evaluate the previous literature on bilingual effects on executive function, in particular enhancement on attentional control. However, recent studies have shown inconsistent conclusions on the relationship between bilingualism and executive function. Such inconsistency could be attributed to the diversity of methodology, the complexity of bilingualism, and the lack of theoretical ground. Based on this review, the future direction would revise the theoretical framework to improve experimental design, and cautiously interpret and compare outcomes between studies. The ultimate aim is no longer to demonstrate whether bilingual advantages on executive function exist or not, but first to understand constitutions of bilingual experiences, then to investigate how different elements have potentially contributed to cognitive development over the lifespan. The significance of such investigations on bilingualism is not only practical for institutions to design effective foreign languages education for children within a normative trajectory, but also of importance to design and deliver effective interventions for the cognitive deficit populations.