Babies exposed to two languages show better memory and learning ability: Study

By Amelia Teng, The Straits Times, 3 Sep 2014

BABIES exposed to two languages may have better memory than those exposed to only one, and also process information faster, a new study of six-month-old infants in Singapore has found.

They are also quicker to absorb information and get "bored" with familiar images faster, the study of 114 infants found.

Half of the infants were exposed to a second language - Chinese, Malay or Tamil - at least 25 per cent of the time. The others were exposed to English 90 per cent of the time.

The study was the first of its kind in the world to look at the effects of bilingualism in infants at such a young age. Other studies have involved older infants.

It is part of a long-term project known as GUSTO (Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes), which started in 2009.

It is a partnership between the Agency for Science, Technology and Research's Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, KK Women's and Children's Hospital and the National University Health System.

The study consisted of two tasks that tracked the babies' eye movements. They were first shown an image of a bear or a wolf. Then, they were given the same two images side by side, one of which would be new.

In the first exercise, infants exposed to two languages stared at the picture for a shorter period of time than the babies exposed to just one language, before looking elsewhere.

In the second task, the infants exposed to two languages spent more time looking at the new image than the other group of infants, who spent an equal time on both.

Associate Professor Leher Singh, the lead author of the study published in the journal Child Development in July, said the findings suggested that "bilingual" infants "take in information very rapidly, getting bored by the same image faster".

"They also have better memory and can better recognise images," added the National University of Singapore psychology professor.

These measures, she said, are indicative of better cognitive performance in children's developmental years, for instance, in memory, language ability and information processing speed.

The results were consistent across all languages in the study, Prof Singh said.

"Even before they learn to speak or say their first word, there may be benefits to being exposed to two languages," she said. "Some parents ask if children will be confused by learning two languages, but increasingly, research shows there are more long-term benefits.

"Even when they mix up languages, it is a temporary process which self-corrects in time."

Associate Professor Chong Yap Seng, GUSTO's lead principal investigator, said: "When you hear two languages, you are forced to learn quickly, to understand what people are saying to you."

The senior consultant in National University Hospital's Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology added: "If you hear only one language, it is less of a stretch because you don't need to differentiate between two languages."