Text 1: Cognitive scientist Park argues that bilingualism produces cognitive benefits across the lifespan. Bilingual children show advantages in executive function tasks; bilingual older adults appear to develop dementia symptoms several years later than monolingual peers.
Text 2: Cognitive scientist Singh accepts that bilingualism may confer some advantages but argues that the literature has been plagued by replication failures and publication bias. Several high-profile bilingual-advantage studies have failed to replicate in larger samples; meta-analyses suggest much smaller effects than early reports. Bilingualism is valuable for many reasons, but the cognitive-advantage case is shakier than its enthusiasts claim.
Based on the texts, how would Singh (Text 2) most likely respond to Park's claim?
- Acheck_circle
He would accept possible benefits while arguing the evidence base is weaker than commonly claimed.
- B
He would deny any cognitive effect of bilingualism.
- C
He would propose that monolinguals always outperform bilinguals.
- D
He would say bilingualism cannot affect dementia onset.
Explanation
Singh allows possible benefits but emphasizes replication problems. B captures his nuanced skepticism. A, C, and D overstate.