Gabriela Muniz Chams
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Ioulia Kovelman
Co-Presenter:
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Psychology and CHGD / LSA
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Oral5
Session: Session 3 – 1:40pm – 2:30 pm
Room: Breakout Room 6
Authors: Gabriela Muniz, Nia Nickerson , Ioulia Kovelman
Presenter: 4
Abstract
Bilingualism is becoming more common in a world that is more globalized than ever before. Therefore, people living in countries where their first language is not spoken often raise their children using 2 languages, resulting in early bilingualism. Oftentimes, parents are simultaneously culturally socializing with their children, which includes the transmission of traditions, beliefs, and attitudes about the heritage culture (Wang & Benner, 2016). Culture is extremely influential in brain development; research shows that culture influences the development of cognitive skills and processes (Miyamoto, 2013). It is crucial to understand how the cultural context, directed by parents, influences children’s knowledge of English. We hypothesize a positive relationship between cultural socialization and brain activation during an English phonological awareness task. In order to test this hypothesis, behavioral, and neuroimaging data were collected. Parents completed both the Cultural Socialization Attitudes and Behaviors Measures (CSAM and CSBM). Forty-eight young, Spanish English Children (Mage=8.2(1.41)) completed an English Phonological Awareness test while under functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) neuroimaging. In our first consideration of the images, it looks as though the CSAM questionnaire predicted significant frontal activation in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and in temporal regions, which are crucial brain regions for language. These results could potentially indicate that a high degree of cultural socialization may contribute to the development of brain areas that we know support successful language and literacy development. The above would improve our understanding of the role of culture in brain development, as well as our understanding of the importance of cultural socialization in bilinguals’ development. This is crucial in a globalized world, in which a high number of people migrate to countries of different languages. Understanding how their behaviors regarding their native culture benefit their children’s brain development may lead to more frequent practices of cultural socialization.
Biomedical Sciences, Engineering, Arts and Humanities, Interdisciplinary, Natural/Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences
