Abstract
The debate of whether bilingualism provides a cognitive and or
linguistic advantage is a lasting one. Underlying this debate is the
idea that an additional language shapes cognition and linguistic
processing. The current research analyzes a behavioral dataset
containing individuals’ performance in different general
cognitive and linguistic tests using a machine learning approach
to classify individuals as bilinguals or multilinguals based on their
performance. Using an extreme gradient boosting model, we were
able to achieve a balanced accuracy of 77%. High scores on a
prescriptive grammar test, a verbal fluency test, and a picture
naming test were predictive for multilingualism. The implications
of the reported results for the field and future research are
discussed.
linguistic advantage is a lasting one. Underlying this debate is the
idea that an additional language shapes cognition and linguistic
processing. The current research analyzes a behavioral dataset
containing individuals’ performance in different general
cognitive and linguistic tests using a machine learning approach
to classify individuals as bilinguals or multilinguals based on their
performance. Using an extreme gradient boosting model, we were
able to achieve a balanced accuracy of 77%. High scores on a
prescriptive grammar test, a verbal fluency test, and a picture
naming test were predictive for multilingualism. The implications
of the reported results for the field and future research are
discussed.
Original language | English |
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Publication status | Published - 2022 |
Event | Annual meeting of the Cognitive Science Society - Duration: 27 Jul 2022 → 30 Jul 2022 |
Conference
Conference | Annual meeting of the Cognitive Science Society |
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Period | 27/07/22 → 30/07/22 |
Keywords
- Bilingualism
- Multilingualism
- Domain-general cognitive skills
- Language skills
- Machine learning