BILINGUALISM, AUDITORY STIMULATION, AND ATTENTION SWINGS IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

In Peru, Spanish is spoken alongside 48 native languages, and many speakers of these languages currently attend universities. Additionally, increased access to mobile phones and laptops has fostered the habit of studying while listening to music among students. In this context, this study was conducted to determine whether bilingual students experience more or fewer attention fluctuations than their monolingual counterparts and whether studying while listening to music affects them. This research employs a quantitative approach, utilizing an experimental laboratory method. The study involved two groups of university students—one bilingual and the other monolingual—from five universities in the departments of Junín and Huancavelica, who voluntarily participated in the experiment. Attention fluctuations were assessed using a digital tachistoscope during a focused attention task. The experiment was conducted under two conditions: with and without auditory stimulation. The results indicated, among other findings, that there are no statistical differences in intragroup comparisons (with and without auditory stimulation). However, differences emerge when comparing bilinguals to monolinguals. In conclusion, studying while listening to music does not affect students' attention, whether bilingual or monolingual. Nonetheless, being bilingual appears to present a disadvantage compared to monolinguals, at least concerning attention fluctuations.