Friday, January 29, 2010

The illusion of brain plasticity

I couldn't have said it better as this reader:
Isn't it funny. These people quote the pop-science book "The Brain the Changes Itself" as though brain plasticity is the cure for everything. They think that just because the brain has plasticity, you can accomplish anything. One problem is that (as Tom pointed out) the brain's plasticity is not constant throughout a person's lifetime. As a little kid, I was able to learn a language effortlessly and without an accent. I'm trying to learn a language at the moment and it is very very difficult, and I have an accent. The speech/language areas of the adult brain are much less plastic than those of a child. Brain plasticity has its limitations, but Bodenhamer will have us believe otherwise.
Also, even though the cortex does indeed have impressive plasticity, the brain has parts other than the cortex. Some believe that cause of stuttering may be in the subcortical parts of the brain (e.g. the amygdala), and it has been shown that these areas are significantly less "plastic" than the cortex.

4 comments:

Dave Rowley said...

You might be interested in this article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/06/050615060545.htm.

Evidence generally is that the best way to learn another language is Submersion - Learner is surrounded exclusively by speakers of L2 usually in a social setting or foreign country. One reason people find learning a foreign language so difficult is that they don't spend enough time on it! They spend years learning their first language, but think they can learn another in a couple of hours a week!

Anonymous said...

Couldn't have said it better than Harry...Great Response.

Gustaf said...

That's so true. I once considered a career in Russia and started studying Russian at home, without much progress at all. Then I took a summer course in St. Petersburg, and found myself picking up new words and phrases like a child! I had to use what little Russian I knew, because of the language barrier.

But I don't see how one would apply this to stuttering. Submersion in an environment of non-stutterers obviously doesn't help...

Adrian said...

True enough about submersion. Any adult can learn a foriegn language as an adult given the right environment. However Tom's point still holds true. There are clear limitations to brain plasticity in adults compared to children. I learned english is weeks when I came to this country as a small child 30 years ago. My mother picked it up quickly too, but to this day she still speaks with an accent and makes grammatical errors. My brain was clearly more plastic than hers.