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Recent neuroimaging studies reveal that adults who have been highly proficient in two languages since early childhood exhibit greater gray matter density in the prefrontal cortex than monolingual adults do. However, among adults who became highly proficient in a second language only after adolescence, prefrontal cortex density is indistinguishable from that of monolingual adults. Interestingly, behavioral tests indicate that tasks requiring subjects to rapidly switch attention between conflicting stimuli are performed significantly faster by both early and late bilinguals than by monolinguals.

Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above?

  1. Greater gray matter density in the prefrontal cortex is not necessary for an individual to perform rapid attention-switching tasks significantly faster than monolinguals.Answer
  2. B
    Acquiring high proficiency in a second language during early childhood is the primary cause of increased gray matter density in the prefrontal cortex.
  3. C
    Anyone who can perform rapid attention-switching tasks significantly faster than average monolinguals must be highly proficient in a second language.
  4. D
    Among adults who are highly proficient in two languages, those who learned their second language in early childhood perform rapid attention-switching tasks faster than those who learned it after adolescence.
  5. E
    The only cognitive advantage that late bilinguals have over monolinguals is the ability to rapidly switch attention between conflicting stimuli.

Answer

Greater gray matter density in the prefrontal cortex is not necessary for an individual to perform rapid attention-switching tasks significantly faster than monolinguals.
The correct answer synthesizes two critical pieces of information from the stimulus. We are told that late bilinguals perform attention-switching tasks faster than monolinguals. We are also told that these same late bilinguals do not have greater gray matter density than monolinguals. Therefore, it is logically proven that having greater gray matter density is not a strictly necessary prerequisite for performing these tasks faster.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the characteristics of early bilinguals based on the text.
Early bilinguals have greater prefrontal cortex density than monolinguals, and they perform attention-switching tasks faster than monolinguals.
To establish the baseline findings regarding the first group mentioned in the stimulus.
2
Analyze the characteristics of late bilinguals based on the text.
Late bilinguals have prefrontal cortex density equal to monolinguals, but they ALSO perform attention-switching tasks faster than monolinguals.
To establish the findings regarding the second group, noting the key difference from the first group.
3
Synthesize the findings to draw a valid logical inference.
Because late bilinguals achieve the enhanced performance without having the increased brain density, the increased brain density cannot be a necessary requirement for the enhanced performance.
Most Strongly Supported questions often require combining two or more distinct facts from the stimulus to deduce a new, strictly provable claim.

Key Concept

Synthesizing premises to deduce the absence of a necessary condition.
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