PsychCentral – TRACI PEDERSEN
“Bilingualism in the preschool years can significantly alter a child’s beliefs about the world, according to a new study by Concordia University. In contrast to their monolingual peers, children exposed to more than one language after age three believe that a person’s psychological attributes are the result of experience rather than something they are born with…The study has important social implications because adults who hold stronger essentialist beliefs are more likely to stereotype others and have prejudiced attitudes. “Our finding that bilingualism reduces essentialist beliefs raises the possibility that early second language education could be used to promote the acceptance of human social and physical diversity…””(more)