PSY315H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Critical Period Hypothesis, American Sign Language, Romanian Orphans
Document Summary
Critical period hypothesis: notion that a biologically determined period exists during which language acquisition must occur, if it is to occur at all (absolute) Sensitive period/optimal period: sensitive or optimal period. Some environmental input is necessary for normal development, but biology determines when the organism is responsive to that input. Lenneberg: language acquisition as an age-limited potential with the relevant age being puberty. Displayed many behavioural characteristics associated with autism. The case of genie: evidence that language was a right-hemisphere function for genie suggests that, by age 13, a left hemisphere that has never been used for language has lost that capacity. Children start over again second first language acquisition: most international adoptees are adopted before the age of 2, so their language outcomes are a test of whether even a slightly late start makes a difference. Children rescued from romanian orphanages (where conditions were extremely poor) often showed delays in multiple aspects of development and experienced long-term difficulty.
