Author ORCID Identifier

0009-0006-1365-0928

Document Type

Paper

Publication Date

1-2025

Abstract

The primary aim of the study is to find out whether bilinguals are more intelligent than monolinguals. The study synthesized relevant literature on the relationship between intelligence and bilingualism with regard to Raven's matrices, a widely recognized tool to assess abstract reasoning. Given the increasing prevalence of bilingualism because of migration and globalization, gaining insight into its cognitive influence is crucial (Surrain & Luk, 2017). Fluid intelligence (gf), crystallized intelligence (gc), and general intelligence (g) are included in this study. Across multiple databases, including ERIC, PsycINFO, and Web of Science, the study involved a comprehensive literature review of the studies published between 2000 and 2022. The primary locus of the studies was the comparison between monolinguals and bilinguals concerning intelligence. Individuals with communication disorders and the studies that used other intelligence assessments were ruled out based on the exclusionary criteria and, after screening 4,164 records via Zotero, only 15 studies were examined. The findings indicate that 11 studies concluded that there is no significant difference between the two populations, while 4 studies found that bilingual individuals are more intelligent than monolinguals. With intelligence levels being generally similar, the conclusion of the present research appears to be that speaking two languages does not confer a substantial cognitive edge over monolingualism. While beneficial in other cognitive areas, bilingualism does not necessarily correlate with higher intelligence. This study fuels the continuing debate on the effects of bilingualism on cognition. The effects of bilingualism on executive function and intelligence are still controversially discussed (Johann et al., 2022).

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