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DOI :10.26650/SP2018-0005   IUP :10.26650/SP2018-0005    Full Text (PDF)

Relations Among Cognitive Flexibility, Bilingualism, and Metacognitive Judgments

Yasemin Karslı, Sema Karakelle

The purpose of this study is to investigate the moderator role of judgements of learning (JOL), which is one of the metacognitive judgements, over the effects of being monolingual or bilingual on children’s cognitive flexibility. A total of 75 bilingual and 75 monolingual children aged between 45 and 77 months committed to the study. Accuracy of JOL was evalauted by picture cards prepared by the researchers, cognitive flexibility was evaluated by DCCS tasks, and Turkish receptive language abilities were evaluated through TIFALDI-AD. A translated version of PPVT into Armenian was administered to bilinguals for evaluating their Armenian language abilities. A significant difference was found among equal bilinguals, non-equal bilinguals, and monolinguals in their cognitive flexibility levels and their accuracy of judgments of learning (JOL). Bilingual groups were found to perform higher in cognitive flexibility and accuracy of JOL when compared to monolingual groups. A multiple hierarchical regression was applied to investigate the moderator role of JOL in terms of what effects being bilingual or monolingual have on cognitive flexibility. Findings indicate that accuracy of JOL has a moderate effect in the relationship between cognitive flexibility and whether one is bilingual or monolingual. When the moderator role of the accuracy of JOL in the relationship between first stage scores of cognitive flexibility and being bilingual or monolingual was examined, it was observed that the participants of the bilingual group with a low accuracy of JOL had higher cognitive flexibility compared to the monolingual group, whereas there was no significant difference in cognitive flexibility level between the bilingual group with a higher accuracy of JOL and the monolingual group. When the moderator role of the accuracy of JOL in the relationship between the second stage scores of cognitive flexibility and being bilingual or monolingual was examined, it was observed that cognitive flexibility of the bilinguals was higher when compared to monolinguals in both groups with higher and lower accuracy of JOL. Findings were discussed relative to a representational redefinition explanation.
Keywords: Bilingualism, cognitive flexibility, metacognitive judgments, judgments of learning (JOL)
DOI :10.26650/SP2018-0005   IUP :10.26650/SP2018-0005    Full Text (PDF)

Bilişsel Esneklik, İki Dillilik ve Üstbilişsel Kararlar Arasındaki Bağlantılar

Yasemin Karslı, Sema Karakelle

Bu araştırmada, çocuklarda iki dilli ya da tek dilli oluşun bilişsel esneklik düzeyi üzerindeki etkisinde üstbilişsel kararlardan öğrenme kararının doğruluğunun düzenleyici rolü araştırılmıştır. Araştırmaya 45 - 77 ay arası 75 iki dilli, 75 tek dilli çocuk katılmıştır. Öğrenme kararlarının doğruluğu, araştırmacıların hazırladığı resim kartları ile; bilişsel esneklik, Boyut Değiştirerek Kart Eşleme göreviyle ve çocukların Türkçe alıcı dil becerileri, TİFALDİ-AD testiyle değerlendirilmiştir. İki dillilere Ermenice alıcı dil becerilerini değerlendirmek için Peabody Resim Kelime Testi’nin Ermenice versiyonu uygulanmıştır. Eşit düzeyde iki dilliler, eşit olmayan düzeyde iki dilliler ve tek dilliler arasında bilişsel esneklik düzeyleri ve öğrenme kararların doğruluğu açısından anlamlı farklılaşma olduğu, iki dillilerin (eşit düzeyde olan-olmayan) bilişsel esneklik düzeyi ve öğrenme kararların doğruluğu açısından tek dillilerden yüksek performans gösterdikleri bulunmuştur. İki ya da tek dilli olmanın bilişsel esneklik üzerindeki etkisinde öğrenme kararlarının düzenleyici rolünün incelenmesi için çoklu hiyerarşik doğrusal düzenleyici regresyon analizleri uygulanmıştır. Bulgular, öğrenme kararlarının doğruluğunun iki ya da tek dilli oluş ve bilişsel esneklik arasındaki ilişkide düzenleyici etkiye sahip olduğunu göstermiştir. Bilişsel esneklik düzeyine ilişkin ilk aşama puanları ile iki dilli ya da tek dilli oluş arasındaki ilişkide öğrenme kararlarının doğruluğunun düzenleyici rolü incelendiğinde öğrenme kararlarının doğruluğu düşük olan iki dilli grubun katılımcılarının tek dilli gruba kıyasla bilişsel esnekliklerinin daha yüksek olduğu gözlenirken, öğrenme kararlarının doğruluğunun yüksek olduğu iki dilli grup ile tek dilli grup arasında bilişsel esneklik düzeyi açısından anlamlı bir farklılaşma olmadığı gözlenmiştir. Bilişsel esneklik düzeyine ilişkin ikinci aşama puanları ile iki dilli ya da tek dilli oluş arasındaki ilişkide öğrenme kararlarının doğruluğu incelendiğinde öğrenme kararlarının doğruluğunun hem yüksek hem de düşük olduğu gruplarda iki dillilerin tek dilli gruba kıyasla bilişsel esneklik düzeyinin daha yüksek olduğu gözlenmiştir. Bulgular temsilsel yeniden tanımlama açıklaması doğrultusunda tartışılmış ve iki dillilerin sahip olduğu yüksek temsil becerileri sayesinde gerçekleştirdikleri görevin gereklilikleri değiştiğinde esnek biçimde yeni duruma geçiş yapabilmelerinin mümkün olduğu şeklinde yorumlanmıştır.
Keywords: İki dillilik, bilişsel esneklik, üsbilişsel kararlar, öğrenme kararları

EXTENDED ABSTRACT


In past years, bilingualism has been claimed to have negative effects on cognitive functions (Hakuta, 1986). However, recent findings indicate that bilingualism has a systematic, meaningful, and positive influence on many cognitive functions (Bialystok, 1999; Calero-Breckheimer & Göetz, 1993). Cognitive flexibility is a cognitive ability which bilinguals show more than monolinguals. In one study, Bialystok (1999) stated that the advantage of bilingualism in cognitive flexibility tasks is related to the ability of inhibition of attention. Previous studies that examined the relationship between bilingualism and cognitive flexibility have not addressed the role of metacognitive judgments. Based on this gap in the literature, the goal of this study is to examine whether the accuracy of metacognitive judgments have a moderator role in the relationship between being bilingual or monolingual and cognitive flexibility. 

Method

In this research, participants were 75 bilingual and 75 monolinguals aged 45-77 months. Accuracy of Judgments of Learning (JOL) was measured through a setting prepared by the researcher. Cognitive flexibility was evaluated by DCCS Task (Zelazo, 2006). Turkish receptive language abilities were evaluated through TIFALDI-AD (Kazak Berument & Gül Güven, 2010). Also, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test translated into Armenian was administered to bilinguals for evaluating their Armenian receptive language abilities. 

Results

Bilinguals and monolinguals differed significantly in terms of their cognitive flexibility levels and accuracy of JOL; that is, each bilingual group displayed superior performance in their cognitive flexibility and accuracy of JOL when compared to monolinguals. A multiple hierarchical regression was applied to investigate the moderator role of JOL in terms of what effects being bilingual or monolingual have on cognitive flexibility. Findings indicate that accuracy of JOL has a moderate effect on the relationship between cognitive flexibility level and whether one is bilingual or monolingual (p < .01). When the moderator role of the accuracy of JOL in the relationship between the first stage scores of cognitive flexibility level and being bilingual or monolingual was examined, it was observed that the participants of the bilingual group with a low accuracy of JOL had a higher cognitive flexibility compared to the monolingual group (simple slope = .482, t = 4.400, p < .001), whereas there was no significant difference in cognitive flexibility level between the bilingual group with a higher accuracy of JOL and the monolingual group (simple slope = .002, t = .018, p > .05). When the moderator role of the accuracy of JOL in the relationship between the second stage scores of cognitive flexibility level and being bilingual or monolingual was examined, it was observed that cognitive flexibility level of the bilinguals was higher when compared to monolinguals in both groups with a higher accuracy of JOL (simple slope = .254, t = 2.045, p < .05) and a lower accuracy of JOL (simple slope = .608, t = 5.404, p < .001). 

Discussion

Results show that bilinguals perform better than monolinguals in terms of their cognitive flexibility skills. This finding is consistent with the existing literature. In previous research, it has been found that bilinguals perform better than monolinguals in tasks that require cognitive flexibility (Bialystok, 1999; Bialystok & Martin, 2004). In the current study, both language levels of bilingual children were assessed. Cognitive flexibility of bilinguals was also compared in terms of their linguistic abilities, and it was seen that their levels in two languages did not lead to a differentiation in terms of cognitive flexibility skills. In Turkey, where there are many bilingual communities, there is little research on this subject, so it is thought that such a review will contribute even if it is at a descriptive level. On the other hand, we did not find a study examining whether cognitive flexibility differentiated between bilingual and monolingual groups in Turkey. Findings indicate that accuracy of JOL has a moderate effect on the relationship between cognitive flexibility level and whether one is bilingual or monolingual. It was observed that the participants of the bilingual group with a low accuracy of JOL had higher cognitive flexibility compared to the monolingual group, whereas there was no significant difference in cognitive flexibility level between the bilingual group with a higher accuracy of JOL and the monolingual group. However, in both groups with higher and lower accuracy of JOL, it was observed that the cognitive flexibility level of the bilinguals was higher than for monolinguals. That the accuracy of JOL has a moderate role in the relationship between cognitive flexibility and being bilingual or monolingual is a new finding in the literature. While results showed that judgments of learning have a moderate role in both stages of cognitive flexibility measurement, it has been observed that, as the representative requirements of the cognitive flexibility task increase, bilinguals performed better than monolinguals in the groups where the accuracy of metacognitive judgments are both high and low. Considering the findings of the present research in light of representational abilities (Kloo & Perner, 2003; Perner, Stummer, Sprung, & Doherty, 2002), it may be interpreted that monolinguals stick to the first rule in cognitive flexibility tasks because they fail to understand that there may be different representations of objects on the cards.


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Karslı, Y., & Karakelle, S. (2018). Relations Among Cognitive Flexibility, Bilingualism, and Metacognitive Judgments. Studies in Psychology, 38(2), 171-200. https://doi.org/10.26650/SP2018-0005


AMA

Karslı Y, Karakelle S. Relations Among Cognitive Flexibility, Bilingualism, and Metacognitive Judgments. Studies in Psychology. 2018;38(2):171-200. https://doi.org/10.26650/SP2018-0005


ABNT

Karslı, Y.; Karakelle, S. Relations Among Cognitive Flexibility, Bilingualism, and Metacognitive Judgments. Studies in Psychology, [Publisher Location], v. 38, n. 2, p. 171-200, 2018.


Chicago: Author-Date Style

Karslı, Yasemin, and Sema Karakelle. 2018. “Relations Among Cognitive Flexibility, Bilingualism, and Metacognitive Judgments.” Studies in Psychology 38, no. 2: 171-200. https://doi.org/10.26650/SP2018-0005


Chicago: Humanities Style

Karslı, Yasemin, and Sema Karakelle. “Relations Among Cognitive Flexibility, Bilingualism, and Metacognitive Judgments.” Studies in Psychology 38, no. 2 (Apr. 2025): 171-200. https://doi.org/10.26650/SP2018-0005


Harvard: Australian Style

Karslı, Y & Karakelle, S 2018, 'Relations Among Cognitive Flexibility, Bilingualism, and Metacognitive Judgments', Studies in Psychology, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 171-200, viewed 26 Apr. 2025, https://doi.org/10.26650/SP2018-0005


Harvard: Author-Date Style

Karslı, Y. and Karakelle, S. (2018) ‘Relations Among Cognitive Flexibility, Bilingualism, and Metacognitive Judgments’, Studies in Psychology, 38(2), pp. 171-200. https://doi.org/10.26650/SP2018-0005 (26 Apr. 2025).


MLA

Karslı, Yasemin, and Sema Karakelle. “Relations Among Cognitive Flexibility, Bilingualism, and Metacognitive Judgments.” Studies in Psychology, vol. 38, no. 2, 2018, pp. 171-200. [Database Container], https://doi.org/10.26650/SP2018-0005


Vancouver

Karslı Y, Karakelle S. Relations Among Cognitive Flexibility, Bilingualism, and Metacognitive Judgments. Studies in Psychology [Internet]. 26 Apr. 2025 [cited 26 Apr. 2025];38(2):171-200. Available from: https://doi.org/10.26650/SP2018-0005 doi: 10.26650/SP2018-0005


ISNAD

Karslı, Yasemin - Karakelle, Sema. “Relations Among Cognitive Flexibility, Bilingualism, and Metacognitive Judgments”. Studies in Psychology 38/2 (Apr. 2025): 171-200. https://doi.org/10.26650/SP2018-0005



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