More evidence from over 1.1 million subjects that the critical period for syntax closes in late adolescence

The ability to attain native-like proficiency of a second language is heavily dependent on the age at which learning begins. However, the exact properties of this phenomenon remain unclear, and the literature is divided. Recently, Hartshorne, Tenenbaum, & Pinker presented a novel computational a...

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Vydané v:Cognition Ročník 214; s. 104706
Hlavní autori: Chen, Tony, Hartshorne, Joshua K.
Médium: Journal Article
Jazyk:English
Vydavateľské údaje: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 01.09.2021
Elsevier Science Ltd
Predmet:
Ability
Adolescence
Adolescents
Child development
Cognition
Cognitive ability
Cognitive science
Competence
Computer applications
Critical period
English as a second language learning
English language
Item response theory
Language
Language acquisition
Literature
Measurement
Novels
Property
Replication
Second languages
Syntax
Replication
Critical period
Language acquisition
Item response theory
ISSN:0010-0277, 1873-7838, 1873-7838
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Shrnutí:The ability to attain native-like proficiency of a second language is heavily dependent on the age at which learning begins. However, the exact properties of this phenomenon remain unclear, and the literature is divided. Recently, Hartshorne, Tenenbaum, & Pinker presented a novel computational analysis of over 600,000 subjects, estimating that the ability to learn syntax drops at 17.4 years of age [Hartshorne, J. K., Tenenbaum, J. B., & Pinker, S. (2018). A critical period for second language acquisition: Evidence from 2/3 million English speakers. Cognition, 177, 263–277]. However, the novelty of the dataset and analyses raises questions and suggests caution [Frank, M. C. (2018). With great data comes great (theoretical) opportunity. Trends in cognitive sciences, 22(8), 669–671]. In the present paper, we address several such concerns by employing improved psychometric measurement, calculating confidence intervals, and considering alternative models. We also present data from an additional 466,607 subjects. The results support the prior report of a sharp decline in the ability to learn syntax, commencing at the tail end of adolescence.
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ISSN:0010-0277
1873-7838
1873-7838
DOI:10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104706