Abstract
Language comprehension and production rely upon Executive Functions (EFs) to control and/or monitor speech. In this study we investigate, through the Attentional Network Test, how an instructed or natural setting of language acquisition in a multilingual environment and the interplay between these two settings can impact the development of attentional processes in a group of bi-/multilingual children (n = 165) developing in linguistically different interactional contexts. RT, accuracy and three attentional network measures were considered for data analyses and the association between attentional network measures, type of natural language context and the instructed setting of language acquisition were tested. Results showed that the children attending monolingual school programs with a high number of L2 hours and the children attending trilingual programs show overall faster reaction times (RTs). Furthermore, it was shown that the instructed setting at school combined with the natural setting at home, and the interplay between the two settings can crucially determine the effects of the bi-/multilingual interactional profile on attentional processes. This study highlights that an in-depth analysis of the impact and interplay of two different language acquisition settings can provide significant insight into bi-/multilingual children’s cognitive development.