Bilingualism and Procedural Learning in Typically Developing Children and Children With Language Impairment

Purpose

The aim of this study was to investigate whether dual language experience affects procedural learning ability in typically developing children and in children with specific language impairment (SLI).

Method

We examined procedural learning in monolingual and bilingual school-aged children (ages 8–12 years) with and without SLI. The typically developing children (35 monolinguals, 24 bilinguals) and the children with SLI (17 monolinguals, 10 bilinguals) completed a serial reaction time task.

Results

The typically developing monolinguals and bilinguals exhibited equivalent sequential learning effects, but neither group with SLI exhibited learning of sequential patterns on the serial reaction time task.

Conclusion

Procedural learning does not appear to be modified by language experience, supporting the notion that it is a child-intrinsic language learning mechanism that is minimally malleable to experience.

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