Viorica Marian is a Psycholinguist, Cognitive Scientist, Psychologist, and writer known for her research on language, bilingualism, and multilingualism. She is the Ralph and Jean Sundin Endowed Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders and Professor of Psychology at Northwestern University, and is the Principal Investigator of the Northwestern Bilingualism and Psycholinguistics Research Laboratory. She received her PhD in Psychology from Cornell University, Master’s degrees from Emory University and from Cornell University, and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Alaska.
Her new book, The Power of Language, which was released in April 2023, is a revolutionary book that goes beyond any recent book on language to dissect how language operates in our minds and how to harness its virtually limitless power.
In this book, Dr. Marian reviews research showing that learning a new language:
· Enhances executive function
· Results in higher scores on creative-thinking tasks
· Develops critical reasoning skills
· Delays Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia by four to six years
· Improves decisions made under emotional duress
· and changes what we see, pay attention to, and recall
I read an advanced copy of The Power of Language and found it endlessly fascinating, and I was so happy that Dr. Marian was able to join me for this conversation to discuss her new book. I hope you enjoy our conversation!
If you have a question about anything related to Montessori and multilingualism that you’d like me to answer on a future FAQ episode, you can send me a message on Instagram or email me. You can also submit a voice message, and you might hear your voice on a future episode!
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