How essentialist reasoning about language acquisition relates to educational myths and policy endorsements

Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications

Table 3 Study 1 Itemized analysis of the language essentialism questions of the college student sample (N = 386)

	Mean	SD	% Neutral	% Agree	t value	df	p value	Cohen’s d
Switched-at-birth Answer scale: 1–6, midpoint: 3.5
Accent	2.21	1.18	NA	17.1	−21.48	385	< .001	1.09
Vocabulary	2.11	1.12	NA	14.0	−24.41	385	< .001	1.24
Grammar	2.01	1.05	NA	10.4	−27.84	385	< .001	1.42
Average Score	2.11	1.07	NA	NA	−25.61	385	< .001	1.30
Language Essentialism Questionnaire Answer scale: 1–5 (midpoint: 3)
Specific Language essentialism
Genetically predisposed	2.23	1.02	14.5	15.5	−14.88	385	< .001	0.76
Brain	2.41	1.09	17.4	20.5	−10.62	385	< .001	0.54
Determined at birth	2.32	1.05	17.1	17.8	−12.73	385	< .001	0.65
Inheritable	2.08	0.99	12.7	11.1	−18.30	385	< .001	0.93
Average score	2.26	0.89	NA	NA	−16.36	385	< .001	0.83
First Language essentialism
Gene	2.62	1.02	32.6	21.0	−7.35	385	< .001	0.37
Brain	3.12	0.89	40.0	37.3	2.59	385	.010	0.13
Determined at birth	2.29	0.96	20.7	14.3	−14.47	385	< .001	0.74
Inheritable	2.65	1.14	22.0	27.2	−6.03	385	< .001	0.31
Natural ability	3.58	0.88	22.5	64.0	12.79	385	< .001	0.65
Average Score	2.85	0.62	NA	NA	−4.77	385	< .001	0.24
Multiple Language essentialism
Gene	2.91	0.99	36.5	30.8	−1.69	385	.092	0.09
Brain	3.48	0.84	30.6	57.5	11.36	385	< .001	0.58
Determined at birth	2.22	0.88	20.5	9.8	−17.56	385	< .001	0.89
Inheritable	2.51	0.97	27.7	17.9	−9.99	385	< .001	0.51
Natural ability	3.77	0.93	17.6	72.3	16.31	385	< .001	0.83
Average score	2.98	0.62	NA	NA	−0.67	385	0.503	0.03

See Table 1 for specific descriptions of items. The “genetically predisposed” and “gene” items tap into the same aspect of essentialism (i.e., “innateness”) but with slightly different wordings. T-tests are one-sample independent tests against midpoints. Items significantly greater than the midpoint are bolded. Items significantly greater than midpoints are bolded