Bilingualism, aging, and cognitive reserve

In this event, Professor Jubin Abutalebi will discuss how bilingualism is a potential and potent reserve contributor, though it tends to be overlooked as a contributory factor in the cognitive aging literature.

The neurological notion of reserve arises from an individually observable dissociation between brain health and cognitive status. According to the cognitive reserve hypothesis, high-reserve aging seniors experience functional compensation for neural atrophy and thus are able to maintain relatively stable cognitive functioning with no or smaller-than-expected impairment.

Several lifestyle factors such as regular physical exercise, adequate and balanced nutrition and educational attainment have been widely reported to contribute to reserve and thus lead to more successful trajectories of cognitive aging.

This event will be particularly useful for those researchers, teachers and those with an interest in multilingualism and its effects on the brain.

Multilingualism and Diversity: Impact on Education, Health and Society seminar series

This seminar series aims to bridge science with practice in education. Leading experts in linguistics, psychological sciences and neurosciences will engage with education practitioners, parents, students and members of the public who have an interest in multicultural diversity and inclusion. 

Related links

• Multilanguage and Cognition Lab
• Department of Psychology and Human Development