Age of Arrival vs. Time of Arrival: A Reconsideration of Johnson & Newport (1989) and Johnson (1992)

Abstract

This paper examines claims by Johnson and Newport (1989) and Johnson (1992) concerning critical period effects in second langauage acquisition. We report on a replication of the original Johnson and Newport experiment using a different population of learners, both children and adults, the results of which can only be partially reconciled with Johnson and Newport's findings. Instead, we posit the existence of a crucial variable not considered by these two researchers which we believe has more general value in accounting for our results, and perhaps for those of Johnson and Newport as well.