Bilingualism aids conflict resolution: Evidence from the ANT task
Abstract
The need of bilinguals to continuously control two languages during speech production may exert general effects on their attentional networks. To explore this issue we compared the performance of bilinguals and monolinguals in the attentional network task (ANT) developed by Fan et al. [Fan, J., McCandliss, B.D. Sommer, T., Raz, A., Posner, M.I. (2002). Testing the efficiency and independence of attentional networks. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 14, 340-347]. This task is supposed to tap into three different attentional networks: alerting, orienting and executive control. The results revealed that bilingual participants were not only faster in performing the task, but also more efficient in the alerting and executive control networks. In particular, bilinguals were aided more by the presentation of an alerting cue, and were also better at resolving conflicting information. Furthermore, bilinguals experienced a reduced switching cost between the different type of trials compared to monolinguals. These results show that bilingualism exerts an influence in the attainment of efficient attentional mechanisms by young adults that are supposed to be at the peak of their attentional capabilities.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
This pattern-bilingual advantage on conflict tasks and no difference on non-conflict tasks-has been replicated in children and adults with flanker, theory of mind, and Simon tasks.
“This pattern has been confirmed in studies of both children and adults using a flanker task (children: [74, 75]), theory of mind task (children: [76, 77]; adults: [78]), Simon task (children: [79]; adults: [44]).”
From Bilingualism: consequences for mind and brain (2012) · cites this paper as [75]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
The attention system of the human brain
Posner, M. I., & Petersen, S. E. (1990) · Annual Review of Neuroscience · doi:10.1146/annurev.ne.13.030190.000325 · Cited by 8,070 · see citing works
Testing the efficiency and independence of attentional networks
Fan, J., McCandliss, B. D., Sommer, T., Raz, A., & Posner, M. I. (2002) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/089892902317361886 · Cited by 3,717 · see citing works
Navigation-related structural change in the hippocampi of taxi drivers
Maguire, E. A., Gadian, D. G., Johnsrude, I. S., Good, C. D., Ashburner, J., Frackowiak, R. S. J., & Frith, C. D. (2000) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.070039597 · Cited by 3,225 · see citing works
Costs of a predictible switch between simple cognitive tasks.
Rogers, R. D., & Monsell, S. (1995) · Journal of Experimental Psychology: General · doi:10.1037/0096-3445.124.2.207 · Cited by 3,170 · see citing works
Mental control of the bilingual lexico-semantic system
GREEN, D. W. (1998) · Bilingualism Language and Cognition · doi:10.1017/s1366728998000133 · Cited by 2,807 · see citing works
Conflict monitoring versus selection-for-action in anterior cingulate cortex
Botvinick, M., Nystrom, L. E., Fissell, K., Carter, C. S., & Cohen, J. D. (1999) · Nature · doi:10.1038/46035 · Cited by 2,044 · see citing works
The activation of attentional networks
FAN, J., MCCANDLISS, B., FOSSELLA, J., FLOMBAUM, J., & POSNER, M. (2005) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.02.004 · Cited by 1,737 · see citing works
A developmental functional MRI study of prefrontal activation during performance of a go-no-go task
Casey, B. J., Trainor, R. J., Orendi, J. L., Schubert, A. B., Nystrom, L. E., Giedd, J. N., Castellanos, F. X., Haxby, J. V., Noll, D. C., Cohen, J. D., et al. (1997) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn.1997.9.6.835 · Cited by 1,106 · see citing works
Lexical Selection in Bilinguals: Do Words in the Bilingual's Two Lexicons Compete for Selection?
Costa, A., Miozzo, M., & Caramazza, A. (1999) · Journal of Memory and Language · doi:10.1006/jmla.1999.2651 · Cited by 607 · see citing works
Self-citationBilingualism across the lifespan: the rise and fall of inhibitory control
Bialystok, E., Martin, M. M., & Viswanathan, M. (2005) · International Journal of Bilingualism · doi:10.1177/13670069050090010701 · Cited by 398 · see citing works
The three attentional networks: on their independence and interactions
Callejas, A., Lupiáñez, J., & Tudela, P. (2004) · Brain and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2004.02.012 · Cited by 386 · see citing works
Effect of bilingualism and computer video game experience on the Simon task.
Bialystok, E. (2006) · Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology / Revue canadienne de psychologie expérimentale · doi:10.1037/cjep2006008 · Cited by 366 · see citing works
Assessing the molecular genetics of attention networks
Fossella, J., Sommer, T., Fan, J., Wu, Y., Swanson, J. M., Pfaff, D. W., & Posner, M. I. (2002) · BMC Neuroscience · doi:10.1186/1471-2202-3-14 · Cited by 339 · see citing works
Modulations among the alerting, orienting and executive control networks
Callejas, A., Lupiàñez, J., Funes, M. J., & Tudela, P. (2005) · Experimental Brain Research · doi:10.1007/s00221-005-2365-z · Cited by 312 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Bilingualism: consequences for mind and brain
Bialystok, E., Craik, F. I. M., & Luk, G. (2012) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2012.03.001 · Cited by 1,386 · see citing works
Cognitive control and lexical access in younger and older bilinguals.
Bialystok, E., Craik, F., & Luk, G. (2008) · Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition · doi:10.1037/0278-7393.34.4.859 · Cited by 925 · see citing works
The bilingual adaptation: How minds accommodate experience
Bialystok, E. (2017) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/bul0000099 · Cited by 906 · see citing works
On the bilingual advantage in conflict processing: Now you see it, now you don’t
Costa, A., Hernández, M., Costa-Faidella, J., & Sebastián-Gallés, N. (2009) · Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2009.08.001 · Cited by 800 · see citing works
Self-citationA bilingual advantage in task switching
PRIOR, A., & MACWHINNEY, B. (2010) · Bilingualism: Language and Cognition · doi:10.1017/s1366728909990526 · Cited by 625 · see citing works
Bilingualism Tunes the Anterior Cingulate Cortex for Conflict Monitoring
Abutalebi, J., Della Rosa, P. A., Green, D. W., Hernandez, M., Scifo, P., Keim, R., Cappa, S. F., & Costa, A. (2012) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhr287 · Cited by 580 · see citing works
Self-citationLanguage selection in bilingual speech: evidence for inhibitory processes
Kroll, J. F., Bobb, S. C., Misra, M., & Guo, T. (2008) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2008.02.001 · Cited by 535 · see citing works
Control mechanisms in bilingual language production: Neural evidence from language switching studies
Abutalebi, J., & Green∗, D. W. (2008) · Language and Cognitive Processes · doi:10.1080/01690960801920602 · Cited by 518 · see citing works
Gollan, T. H., & Ferreira, V. S. (2009) · Journal of Experimental Psychology Learning Memory and Cognition · doi:10.1037/a0014981 · Cited by 485 · see citing works
Barac, R., & Bialystok, E. (2012) · Child Development · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01707.x · Cited by 448 · see citing works
Effect of language proficiency and executive control on verbal fluency performance in bilinguals
Luo, L., Luk, G., & Bialystok, E. (2010) · Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2009.08.014 · Cited by 380 · see citing works
Bilingualism and the development of executive function: The role of attention
Bialystok, E. (2015) · Child Development Perspectives · doi:10.1111/cdep.12116 · Cited by 375 · see citing works
Lexical access in bilinguals: effects of vocabulary size and executive control
Bialystok, E., Craik, F. I. M., & Luk, G. (2008) · Journal of Neurolinguistics · doi:10.1016/j.jneuroling.2007.07.001 · Cited by 314 · see citing works
Bridging language and attention: brain basis of the impact of bilingualism on cognitive control
Garbin, G., Sanjuan, A., Forn, C., Bustamante, J. C., Rodriguez-Pujadas, A., Belloch, V., Hernandez, M., Costa, A., & Ávila, C. (2010) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.05.078 · Cited by 309 · see citing works
Self-citationGlobal–local and trail-making tasks by monolingual and bilingual children: Beyond inhibition.
Bialystok, E. (2010) · Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0015466 · Cited by 295 · see citing works
Yow, W. Q., & Li, X. (2015) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00164 · Cited by 211 · see citing works
Bilingualism modulates dual mechanisms of cognitive control: evidence from ERPs.
Morales, J., Yudes, C., Gómez-Ariza, C. J., & Bajo, M. T. (2015) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.11.014 · Cited by 152 · see citing works
The benefits of multilingualism
Diamond, J. (2010) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1195067 · Cited by 137 · see citing works
Dual mechanisms of cognitive control in bilinguals and monolinguals.
Morales, J., Gómez-Ariza, C. J., & Bajo, M. T. (2013) · Journal of Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.1080/20445911.2013.807812 · Cited by 130 · see citing works
Can Bilingualism Mitigate Set-Shifting Difficulties in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders?
Gonzalez-Barrero, A. M., & Nadig, A. S. (2019) · Child Development · doi:10.1111/cdev.12979 · Cited by 114 · see citing works
Contributions of Attentional Control to Socioemotional and Academic Development
Rueda, M. R., Checa, P., & Rothbart, M. K. (2010) · Early Education and Development · doi:10.1080/10409289.2010.510055 · Cited by 117 · see citing works
Can arousal modulate response inhibition?
Weinbach, N., Kalanthroff, E., Avnit, A., & Henik, A. (2015) · Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition · doi:10.1037/xlm0000118 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Zebdi, R., Goyet, L., Pinabiaux, C., & Guellaï, B. (2016) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00195 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Understanding the nature of bilingual aphasia: Diagnosis, assessment and rehabilitation
Kiran, S., & Gray, T. (2018) · Studies in Bilingualism · doi:10.1075/sibil.54.17kir · Cited by 7 · see citing works
- Authors
- Costa, A., Hernández, M., & Sebastián-Gallés, N.
- Affiliations
- Parc Científic de Barcelona (ES)
- Corresponding author
- Costa, Albert
- Venue
- Cognition
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2008-01
- Volume
- 106
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 59-86
- ISSN
- 0010-0277 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2090678998
- Cited by
- 1,051
- References
- 14
- Citations by year
- 2026: 32 · 2025: 38 · 2024: 33 · 2023: 54 · 2022: 69 · 2021: 65 · 2020: 70 · 2019: 95 · 2018: 84 · 2017: 51 · 2016: 77 · 2015: 83 · 2014: 78 · 2013: 53 · 2012: 54
- FWCI
- 13.19
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Cognition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Keywords
- bilingualism, attentional networks, attentional control, alerting, orienting, executive function, conflict resolution, task switching, bilingual advantage, language control, attentional efficiency
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Arousal, Attention, Conflict, Psychological, Discrimination Learning, Female, Humans, Male, Orientation, Pattern Recognition, Visual, Problem Solving, Reaction Time, Reversal Learning, Multilingualism
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
