This is a review of the lecture Does Bilingualism Affect Cognitive and Brain Structures? Facts and Fictions by Ellen Bialystok on June 30th, 2020 for Abralin. Aspects of bilingualism, inhibition and selective attention are examined to demonstrate where research shows positive correlations (life endpoints: infancy and old age) and where it remains unclear (young adults). Reasons for this are examined and the unity and diversity model upon which predictions have been made is disputed. A contention for a different outlook in research on bilingualism posits that better explanations can be found in looking at attentional network reconfiguration and neuroplasticity adaptations.
Bilingualism as a resource for neuroplasticity: a hypothesis to be considered