Foreign language learning in older age does not improve memory or intelligence: Evidence from a randomized controlled study.

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-219
Author(s):  
Rasmus Berggren ◽  
Jonna Nilsson ◽  
Yvonne Brehmer ◽  
Florian Schmiedek ◽  
Martin Lövdén
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Randomized Controlled Study ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Randomized Controlled

scholarly journals No evidence that foreign language learning in old age improves cognitive function: A randomized controlled study

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rasmus Berggren ◽  
Jonna Nilsson ◽  
Yvonne Brehmer ◽  
Florian Schmiedek ◽  
Martin Lövdén
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Relaxation Training ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Randomized Controlled Study ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Age Related

Foreign language learning in older age has been proposed as a promising avenue for combatting age-related cognitive decline. We tested this hypothesis in a randomized controlled study in a sample of 160 healthy older participants (aged 65-75 years) who were randomized to 11 weeks of either language learning or relaxation training. Participants in the language learning condition obtained basic knowledge in Italian, but between-group differences in improvements on latent factors of verbal intelligence, spatial intelligence, working memory, item memory, or associative memory were negligible. We argue that this is not due to either poor measurement, low course intensity, or low statistical power, but that language learning in older age is likely to have no or trivially small effects on cognitive abilities. We place this in the context of the cognitive training literature and conclude that while skill acquisition expands the behavioral repertoire it does little to improve cognitive processing abilities.

Animacy Effects Persist in Foreign-Language Learning

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua E. Vanarsdall ◽  
James S. Nairne ◽  
Mindi Cogdill ◽  
Josefa N. S. Pandeirada
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning

Social Norms in Foreign Language Learning Survey

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra G. Kouritzin ◽  
Nathalie A. Piquemal ◽  
Robert D. Renaud
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning
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