Bilingualism, mind, and brain, with Ellen Bialystok

About this episode

The episode features a discussion with Ellen Bialystok about the cognitive advantages of growing up in a bilingual environment.

In this epidode, I talk with Ellen Bialystok, Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology at York University, about her case for the “bilingual advantage”, or to be more precise, the case that growing up in a bilingual environment reconfigures mind and brain for adaptability, effiency, and resiliance. Bialystok E, Craik FIM, Klein R, Viswanathan M. Bilingualism, aging, and cognitive control: Evidence from the Simon task. Psychol Aging 2004; 19: 290-303. [doi] Bialystok E, Craik FIM, Freedm...

People in this episode

Host: Stephen M. Wilson

Guest: Ellen Bialystok

Topics covered

• bilingualism
• cognitive science
• psychology
• brain adaptability
• cognitive control

Keywords

• bilingual advantage
• cognitive control
• aging
• psychology
• brain reconfiguration

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: York University

More episodes of The Language Neuroscience Podcast

• Content is king: The assertion-evidence approach for effective scientific presentations, with Michael Alley · June 12, 2026 · 52 min
• SNL 2026 teaser with Valentina Borghesani and Ryan Law · May 13, 2026 · 37 min
• ‘Wired for words: the neural architecture of language’ with Greg Hickok · November 25, 2025 · 1h 22m
• ‘Role for left dorsomedial prefrontal cortex in self-generated, but not externally cued, language production’ with Deborah Levy · September 15, 2025 · 1h 14m
• ‘Can the mismatch negativity really be elicited by abstract linguistic contrasts?’ with Steve Politzer-Ahles and Bernard Jap · May 2, 2025 · 1h 9m
• What's going on with the NIH? with Julius Fridriksson · April 2, 2025 · 46 min