Set,objectification and second language learning

The present paper examines the relevance of the Georgian concepts of “set” and “objectification” for second language learning. In the first study the ability to extinguish a set was found to be significantly related to second language aptitude. The second study found no differences between bilinguals and unilinguals on either rate of set fixation or extinction; however, bilinguals performed at a significantly higher level on measures of both verbal and nonverbal intelligence. This finding is interpreted in terms of Uznadze's concept of “objectification”. It is suggested that bilingualism increases the efficiency with which the child objectifies both his own linguistic operations and the conceptual attributes of objects.