HOW BILINGUALISM AFFECTS COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IN ADULTS.EDUCATIONAL APPLICATIONS

This article reviews recent research on the cognitive effects of bilingualism in adults, with an emphasis on applications for adult education. Bilingual adults often exhibit enhanced cognitive reserve, delaying age-related decline and dementia onset. They also tend to perform better on tasks involving executive functions, particularly working memory, though findings vary by task and age. Neuroimaging studies show bilingual older adults use brain resources more efficiently, evidencing neural reserve in frontostriatal networks supporting working memory. While some intervention studies find limited overall gains from short-term language learning, those with lower baseline cognition may improve in specific domains like response inhibition. These patterns suggest that adult language learning and bilingual education can serve as cognitive enrichment, with implications for curriculum design in adult education.