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Understanding multilingualism and its implications

DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01464
Authors:
Mary O'Brien at The University of Calgary
Mary O'Brien
Suzanne Curtin at The University of Calgary
Suzanne Curtin
Rahat Zaidi at The University of Calgary
Rahat Zaidi
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... Specifically, it is widely recognized that variables associated with bilingualism, such as second language proficiency, age of acquisition, and frequency of usage, impact performance on a range of cognitive measures (Birdsong, Gertken, & Amengual, 2012;Mindt et al., 2008). Although, an estimated 25% of the U.S. population and 50% of the world population classify themselves as bilingual (O'Brien, Curtin, & Naqvi, 2014), few studies have directly addressed the effects of bilingualism on MMSE performance. The existing literature, focusing on classification of Alzheimer's disease in older (mean = 75 years of age) bilingual adults, has generated mixed results. ...
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