The influence of multilingualism on non-adjacent dependency learning for children between 8-11 years old in the Netherlands and the mediating effect of working memory on this association

Abstract

Since multilingualism is prominent in society, it is relevant to find out how multilingualism affects the development of children. Multilinguals seem to have certain advantages in language acquisition, in comparison to monolinguals. This study focused on non adjacent dependency learning (NADL), which is a particular type of statistical learning used in natural language learning. This study investigated whether multilingualism contributes to NADL for children between 8-11 years old in the Netherlands and whether this effect is mediated by the working memory of the child. Two NADL conditions were investigated: one that was consistent and one that was inconsistent with regard to the rules of the language. 135 children participated in the study. NADL was measured by using a digital game and working memory was measured by a digit task. A questionnaire was used to obtain information concerning the language environment of the child. The results indicated that the effect between multilingualism and NADL was not mediated by working memory. Furthermore, both in the consistent and inconsistent input condition, multilingualism and NADL were not significantly related. A positive association between working memory and NADL was found in the consistent input condition. This study adds to the inconsistent body of literature concerning multilingualism and statistical learning. Innovative to this research is the association found between NADL and working memory. Children who have problems with NADL might be helped throughout Keywords: (separated by ;) working memory training, in order to improve NADL outcomes.