Bilingualism and Executive Control: A Mini Systematic Review of Behavioral Evidence (2015–2025)

This preprint presents a mini systematic review of behavioral evidence on bilingualism and executive control from 2015 to 2025. Using a transparent Google Scholar search strategy and predefined inclusion criteria, the review synthesizes findings across inhibition, interference control, task switching, and working memory/updating measures, with attention to heterogeneity in bilingual experience definitions (proficiency, daily use, age of acquisition) and confound control (e.g., socioeconomic status, education, immigration context). Overall, the evidence does not support a universal bilingual advantage; observed effects are small, mixed, and context-dependent, varying by task design, measurement choice, and participant characteristics. Practical recommendations are provided for future cognitive science research, including standardized bilingual profiling, multi-task designs, and open research practices.