The Role of Diverse Linguistic Experiences in Young Children's Cognitive and Language Development

Abstract

The past two decades have produced an explosion of psychological research on the ways in which bilingualism impacts young children's cognitive and language development. Moreover, a recent focus on understanding variation in bilingual experiences has revealed a wide range of dual language environments in which children grow up, and new evidence has emerged to suggest that these different bilingual environments may shape the trajectory of children's cognitive and language development as well. In this chapter, we review the recent literature on the role of diverse linguistic experiences in young children's cognitive and language development. We specifically focus our review on young children—from infancy through early childhood—to elucidate the impact of bilingual environments during a developmental period characterized by rapid cognitive and linguistic change. In particular, we examine the consequences impact of diverse language experiences for young children's attention, perception, social cognition, and language learning. Furthermore, we discuss the implications of these findings for families, as well as early childhood educators and practitioners working with young children from linguistically diverse backgrounds.