A comparative study of auditory processing in Kurdish-Turkish bilinguals versus Turkish monolinguals

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to compare inhibitory control and auditory processing skills in monolingual (ML) and bilingual (BL) individuals. Methods The study included 15 Turkish ML and 15 Kurdish-Turkish BL individuals, whose native language is Kurdish. All subjects underwent several assessments, including the Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT), frequency pattern test (FPT) and duration pattern test (DPT), Random Gap Detection Test (RGDT), P1-N1-P2 and P300 test, and the Turkish Matrix Sentence Test (TURMatrix). Results There were no significant differences between the groups regarding the SCWT, FPT, DPT, P1-N1, and P300 results. However, the amplitudes of the /m/ and /g/ phonemes of P2 wave were significantly lower in the BL group. Additionally, the adaptive-in-noise TURMatrix scores were significantly better for the ML group. Conclusions The results indicated that BL individuals required a higher signal-to-noise ratio when the target message was masked by noise, and that that BL language experience did not provide an overall advantage affecting inhibitory control and auditory processing outcomes.