The Role Of Cultural Practices In Shaping Language Entropy And Cognitive Performance:A Comparative Study Of Jaipur And Vijayawada

Abstract

                This study investigates the underexplored relationship between language entropy, bilingualism, and cognitive performance in young adult bilinguals from Jaipur and Vijayawada, two linguistically diverse Indian cities. A total of 523 participants completed the AX version of the Continuous Performance Task (AX-CPT) and provided demographic information through the Language and Social Background Questionnaire (LSBQ). The research examines three hypotheses: (1) bilinguals exhibit enhanced cognitive performance compared to monolinguals, (2) cognitive performance is positively correlated with language entropy, and (3) socioeconomic status (SES) moderates the relationship between language entropy and cognitive performance. Pearson correlation analyses revealed a positive correlation between language entropy and AX-CPT performance, suggesting better cognitive performance in regions with higher language entropy. Furthermore, multiple regression analyses identified a significant interaction between language entropy and SES in predicting AX-CPT outcomes, indicating that the cognitive benefits associated with higher language entropy are more pronounced among individuals with higher SES. This study contributes to our understanding of the cognitive benefits associated with bilingualism and multilingualism, highlighting the potential moderating role of SES, and may have implications for language policy and education in linguistically diverse regions such as Jaipur and Vijayawada.