Bilingualism can alter children's beliefs about world around them

A new study has recently revealed that some bilingualism can change a kid's beliefs about world because they have the ability to understand that "everything was not innate, and so they can learn."

The study suggested that bilingualism in the preschool years can alter children's beliefs about the world around them. Contrary to their unilingual peers, many kids who have been exposed to a second language after age three believe that an individual's traits arise from experience.

Krista Byers-Heinlein, member of the Centre for Research in Human Development, said that both monolinguals and second language learners showed some errors in their thinking, but each group made different kinds of mistakes.

Monolinguals were more likely to think that everything was innate, while bilinguals were more likely to think that everything was learned, she further added.

The study has important social implications because adults who hold stronger essentialist beliefs are more likely to endorse stereotypes and prejudiced attitudes.

The study will be published in the Developmental Science.