Question and Anwer about Psychology of Second Language Acquisition

  Question and Answer about Psychology of Second Language Acquisition

What's the link between language and programming in the brain  ?

Siegmund et al (2014) were the first to empirically investigate the link between programming and other cognitive domains, such as language processing, at least using modern neuroimaging methods. They used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) which measures changes in local blood oxygenation, as a result of brain activity in different networks across the brain. Undergraduate students of computer science were scanned while reading code snippets for comprehension and while reading similar code, looking for syntax errors without comprehension. The results showed activation in the classical language networks, including activation in Broca's, Wernicke's and Geschwind's territories, more in the left hemisphere.

The code was made to enhance so called bottom-up comprehension, which means reading and understanding expression by expression and line by line, rather than browsing the overall structure of the code. This process can be compared to language processes such as clipping words together, according to syntax, to arrive at a coherent sentence meaning (as well as connection meaning across sentences in discourse). It is possible, and has been suggested in the computer science literature on the skill set needed to be a good programmer (Dijkstra, 1982), that people master their native language well are also more efficient software developers. A mechanistic explanation could be the strength of the connections between the mentioned brain regions, which changes from person to person. In summary, similar brain networks are found for programming and language comprehension.

How does age affect second language acquisition?

The ability to learn a new language varies greatly by person, but theories suggest that the best time to learn a second language is between ages 2 and 12.

There is an idea known as the Critical Period Hypothesis that states that the best time to learn a language is from age 2 to puberty.  This means that by the time most kids reach high school, when they usually begin taking a second language, it is past the critical period.  This does not mean that they cannot still learn, but it is easier to learn when the brain is still “plastic” or easily adaptable.

As we grow older, our brains begin to compartmentalize.  This means that we begin to assign tasks to either the left or right side.  Of course, our brains don’t literally handle only one task on one side, but this theory goes a long way to suggesting why our brains develop better when we are younger.  This is one reason why people who learn a language when they are younger are less likely to speak with an accent.

It should be noted that any individual at any age can learn a new language.  The ease of learning the new language decreases as you get older.  As a child, you can learn a new language more easily than as an adult.