Choice reaction time differences among monolinguals, bilinguals and trilinguals: Testing global and specific cognitive effects using the Attentional Network Test

Abstract Research on the non-linguistic cognitive consequences of bilingualism remains inconclusive, with ongoing debate over which characteristics of bilinguals drive potential effects and which cognitive abilities may be involved. The impact of bilingualism and trilingualism on attentional performance was studied using a computerized Attentional Network Test. It was administered to 97 adults, assuming progressive improvement with increasing language experience. Reaction times and errors were examined across global and specific attentional network measures (alerting, orienting and executive control). Results indicated that the locus of improvement between bilinguals and trilinguals relative to monolinguals emerged primarily in global reaction times and errors, with no specific effects in any attentional network. Although differences between bilinguals and trilinguals showed only a non-significant trend, regression analyses revealed a significant logarithmic relationship whereby speaking more languages predicted faster global reaction times. The observed processing-speed improvement is discussed in relation to ongoing hypotheses proposing an adaptive response in multilinguals.