Introduction to the Volume

In cognitive psychology and language science, the investigation of bilingualism has dramatically increased over the last 20 years. Bilingualism has a high prevalence globally and impacts cognition across the lifespan. The human language system is therefore capable of managing multiple languages, and including bilingual and multilingual individuals in cognitive research increases generalizability. The multifaceted nature of bilingualism presents challenges because of the diversity of bilingual language experience, difficulties in operationalizing or measuring proficiency, and the need to match language groups and/or language materials. These complexities also open up opportunities for rich exploration of individual differences. Expanding existing cognitive constructs, approaches, and theories to accommodate bilingualism has helped to advance the field and has required consideration of uniquely bilingual properties. Comparing particular groups of bilinguals with languages that differ in critical ways reveals which characteristics are language specific or universal. The aim of this book is to relay essential information about bilingualism, provide a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities inherent in bilingual research, and to stimulate new directions for research.