Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

Bilingualism and Executive Functioning

FIU Wellness & Recreation Center

The purpose of this study was to enhance research techniques and data collection as well as validate Dr. Fernandez’s results on the N-BACK. We wanted to compare our findings in bilingualism and executive functioning with the findings that Dr. Fernandez had at NOVA Southeastern University. We wanted to pinpoint any significant differences in the demographics in which we were recruiting our participants. Our participants went through five unique tests that each measured a different ability, which include but not limited to attention and concentration. Among those tests are the N-BACK auditory, N-BACK visual, Stroop, BVAT, Shipley, and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). We made sure to use counterbalancing which helped with the possibility of receiving different results due to the order we administered the tests. With this research came some limitations, such as only offering the test in one campus in a predominately bilingual community. When it came time to recruit monolingual participants, we were challenged with the small number of monolinguals in Miami Dade College West Campus. For some students, the commute to West Campus was also an issue, preventing them from participating in our research. Each administered test was different, comparing the bilingual test to the monolingual. For example, each one had a unique questionnaire that helped determine if participants were eligible to take the test and also to gather demographics. We recruited approximately 40 participants in total and we plan on comparing our pending data to NOVA’s data.