Cognitive consequences of raising children bilingually: One parent, one language.

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Abstract
The cognitive consequences of raising children unilingually and bilingually were explored within the theoretical/empirical research paradigm of Luria. The study was longitudinal (subjects tested at 22-24 mo. and 46-48 mo.) and cross-cultural (Alsace [France], Alberta [Canada], Hong Kong). There was 1 bilingual and 2 unilingual groups (.apprx. 10 subjects/group) at each of the 3 locations. Parents of the bilingual groups were instructed on how to raise their children according to Ronjat''s 1 parent, 1 language principle. Parents of all groups were matched on educational level. There were trends but no significant differences in performance between the younger groups. At the older age level, all bilingual groups obtained significantly higher scores (P < 0.01) compared to all unilingual groups. This pattern of findings was identical regardless of language, language combinations or cultural milieu. The importance of these findings was considered in light of Luria''s analysis of the role of language in the constitution of cognitive processes.

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