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Critical Periods in Speech Perception : New Directions Werker, Janet Feldman, 1951-; Hensch, Takao K., 1966-

Abstract

A continuing debate in language acquisition research is whether there are Critical Periods (CPs) in development during which the system is most responsive to environmental input. Recent advances in neurobiology provide a mechanistic explanation of CPs, with the balance between excitatory and inhibitory processes establishing the onset and molecular brakes establishing the offset of windows of plasticity. In this chapter we review the literature on human speech perception development within the context of this CP model, highlighting research that reveals the interplay of maturational and experiential influences at key junctures in development and presenting paradigmatic examples testing CP models in human subjects. We conclude with a discussion of how a mechanistic understanding of CP processes changes the nature of the debate: the question is no longer “are there CPs”, but rather what processes open them, keep them open, close them, or allow them to be reopened.

Item Metadata

Title
Critical Periods in Speech Perception : New Directions
Creator
Werker, Janet Feldman, 1951-; Hensch, Takao K., 1966-
Publisher
Annual Reviews
Date Issued
2015-01
Description
A continuing debate in language acquisition research is whether there are Critical Periods (CPs) in development during which the system is most responsive to environmental input. Recent advances in neurobiology provide a mechanistic explanation of CPs, with the balance between excitatory and inhibitory processes establishing the onset and molecular brakes establishing the offset of windows of plasticity. In this chapter we review the literature on human speech perception development within the context of this CP model, highlighting research that reveals the interplay of maturational and experiential influences at key junctures in development and presenting paradigmatic examples testing CP models in human subjects. We conclude with a discussion of how a mechanistic understanding of CP processes changes the nature of the debate: the question is no longer “are there CPs”, but rather what processes open them, keep them open, close them, or allow them to be reopened.
Subject
Infancy; Language acquisition; Attention; GABA; Parvalbumin; Perineuronal net
Genre
Article; Preprint
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2020-01-06
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
DOI
10.14288/1.0387505
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/73139
Affiliation
Arts, Faculty of; Non UBC; Psychology, Department of
Citation
Werker, J.F., & Hensch, T.K. (2015). Critical Periods in Speech Perception: New Directions. Annual Review of Psychology, 66, 173-196.
Publisher DOI
10.1146/annurev-psych-010814-015104
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty
Rights URI
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International