David Mollenkamp

Professor Jamil Zaki

Psychology 1
April 27, 2016
R&W Part II
Introduction
Considerable research has gone into understanding the effects of secondary language
acquisition on adults as compared to that of children. The prevalence of these studies has led
most scholars to support the existence of a critical period for secondary language acquisition that
occurs sometime between the ages of five to twelve (Johnson, 1989, p. 83). Similarly, several
studies suggests that there is a critical period for primary language acquisition, which is
hypothesized to occur sometime between the ages of two and five. Since the proposal of the
critical period for secondary language acquisition, there have been few studies attempting to
determine precisely how failing to acquire a second language outside of this period affects
secondary language capabilities in the future. However, several experiments reveal that learning
a secondary language may yield some benefits such as increased ability to communicate in social
situations (Asher, 1969, p. 23). Our study aims to address this gap in understanding.
Additionally, recognition of the inferior parietal lobule as a necessary structure for the
comprehension of newly acquired language has been addressed by several studies, most notably
by Perani et al. 1996, which concluded that in fact the area now known as Geschwinds territory
is essential for forming an understanding of languages upon first exposure. By formally testing
whether or not the inferior parietal lobule is essential for secondary language acquisition, we can
greater understand the mechanisms by which we learn secondary languages.

Summary
This experiment addresses the question of whether adult language learners are predisposed to
more blood flow and more activity when learning a secondary language than younger people by
using an fMRI machine to provide an accurate measure of blood flow.
Participants
A total of 80 participants will be selected for this study. English will be the primary language of
each selected participant and said participants will not have any history of fluency in a secondary
language. Furthermore, the participants will differ in age while other factors are held constant so
as to isolate the effect of age on secondary language acquisition.
Procedures
First, the individuals will be divided into two subgroups of 40 persons each. The subgroups will
be made substantially large in order to attempt to control for individuals who have a natural
inclination to learn languages more easily than others. Each subgroup will consist of individuals
of a different age group: ages 6-12 and 24-30. Half of the participant in each of the subgroups
will then be taught the basic grammatical structure of a fictitious language within the same
classroom by the same professor while the other half will be taught English, thus acting as our
control. This teaching session will be followed by a grammatical test taken within an fMRI
machine. During this test, we will examine the relative blood flow within individuals brains.
Then, these individuals will be given a verbal test of the same fictitious language within an fMRI
machine, testing their speaking capabilities. The control subjects will be given these same tests in
English. This test will be repeated with the same subjects so as to provide a more accurate
picture of which structures are involved in understanding the language.

Measures
The primary statistical tool that will be used to conduct measurements is the normal distribution
curve. We will determine whether the participants within the different groups have significantly
different BOLD levels.
Hypothesis and Analysis
We hypothesize that a considerably greater amount of blood flow within the brains of adults will
occur in the speaking test than it will in the brains of children while relatively similar blood flow
will occur during the grammatical test. In order to test this hypothesis, we will analyze the
BOLD signal emitted during our testing in each case and determine whether children or adults
emit more energy when being tested about a secondary language.
Discussion
One important feature of this study is its dichotomous nature, which allows us to make a simple
distinction between the two groups involved, arguing that one group does utilize more energy
when comprehending new languages than the other. Similarly, this study is relatively simple to
conduct, requiring only an fMRI machine and an instructor willing to teach both children and
adults a fictitious language. However, one factor that might negatively impact our results is the
ability and willingness of children to sit still while in the fMRI machine. Since the children are
relatively young, we might also observe an inability to understand grammatical rules akin to
what they display when speaking even their primary language at older ages. However, the vast
majority of the childrens group will be old enough to understand grammatical rules and
therefore should not skew our results.

Summary
This experiment addresses the question of whether the inferior parietal lobule is activated and
necessary for understanding or producing speech of a secondary language but not a primary
language by using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to disable the inferior parietal
lobule from operating properly.
Participants
For this study, a total of approximately sixty adults will be chosen to participate. Notably, these
adults will not be fluent, nor at any point, have been fluent in any secondary language. Similarly,
the adults chosen for this study will have similar education levels and be of a similar age (around
25 years old) so as to ensure that no other factors are influencing the results observed.
Procedures
First, the participants will take part in a pre-test, in which, we will use an fMRI machine to
determine that the inferior parietal lobule is functioning when the participants are listening to a
fictitious language being spoken to them. Furthermore, we will test to determine whether the
same portion is operating when the participants are listening to English. Then, in order to
determine whether or not this structure is absolutely essential for the comprehension of both the
secondary language and the primary language, we will utilize TMS. When participants are
learning a new skill in that language, we will apply TMS so that the structure is incapable of
operating. Then, we will remove the TMS and determine whether participants can apply the new
skill they learned by presenting them with a series of questions about the topic of the language
covered. We will repeat this process with different fictitious languages.

Measures
The T-test will be the most regularly used measure in determining the results of our study.
Similarly, we will make use of p-values to determine that the inferior parietal lobule is necessary
at the beginning stages of learning a secondary language.
Hypothesis and Analysis
We hypothesize that the interference of the inferior parietal lobule caused by TMS will disable
people from comprehending the new language in accordance with previous research. In order to
test this hypothesis, we will apply TMS to the inferior parietal lobule and note the effects on the
participants abilities.
Discussion
This studys use of TMS to determine the causal relationship between the inferior parietal lobule
and secondary language acquisition is very novel, allowing for us to gain a greater understanding
of the nature of the inferior parietal lobule. Similarly, this study requires fairly minimal costs to
run effectively. Only access to TMS machinery and an instructor is necessary. However, the
monolithic nature of the participants begs the question of whether the results are generalizable.
In order to determine the precise relationship between the inferior parietal lobule and secondary
language acquisition, it might be necessary to conduct more studies on individuals of different
ages and socioeconomic statuses.

References
Asher, J. J., & Garcia, R. (1969). The Optimal Age to Learn a Foreign Language. The Modern
Language Journal, 53(5), 23-34.
Johnson, J. S., & Newport, E. L. (1989). Critical period effects in second language learning: The
influence of maturational state on the acquisition of English as a second language.
Cognitive psychology, 21(1), 60-99.
Perani, D., Dehaene, S., Grassi, F., Cohen, L., Cappa, S. F., Dupoux, E., ... & Mehler, J. (1996).
Brain processing of native and foreign languages. Neuroreport, 7(15-17), 2439-2444.