PhD Studentship: Cognitive benefits of being bilingual
- Employer
- Global Academy Jobs
- Location
- United Kingdom
- Closing date
- Jan 24, 2018
View more
- Sector
- Science, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Sociology
- Hours
- Full Time
- Organization Type
- University and College
- Jobseeker Type
- Academic (e.g. 'Lecturer')
Job Details
Does being a native speaker of two languages have not only linguistic and social, but also cognitive benefits? Many previous studies indeed reported better cognitive performance in bilinguals than monolinguals, and some studies even suggested that bilingualism is associated with a delayed onset of dementia (e.g., see Bialystok, 2017 for a review). However, more recent larger-scale studies (including one in our lab, see von Bastian, Souza, & Gade, 2016) could not replicate such positive effects of bilingualism. This project aims at understanding what other factors may have driven earlier findings of benefits such as effects of immigration, acculturation, and the specific second language spoken. As bilingualism has been argued to have particularly large effects on children’s and older adults’ cognition, this project allows for (but does not necessarily require) working with individuals across the lifespan.
Reading: Bialystok, E. (2017). The bilingual adaptation: How minds accommodate experience. Psychological Bulletin, 143(3), 233-262. doi: 10.1037/bul0000099 von Bastian, C. C., Souza, A. S., & Gade, M. (2016). No evidence for bilingual cognitive advantages: A test of four hypotheses. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 145(2), 246-258. doi: 10.1037/xge0000120
Funding Notes
This is one of many projects in competition for the current funding opportunities available within the Department of Psychology. Please see here for full details: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/psychology/prospectivepg/funding
Overseas students are welcome to apply for funding but must be able to demonstrate that they can fund the difference in the tuition fees.
Requirements:
We ask for a minimum of a first class or high upper second-class undergraduate honours degree and a distinction or high merit at Masters level in psychology or a related discipline
Company
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