Kuhl 2004: Neural commitment

As we get older, does our capacity for neural commitment lessen or does it only lessen for our ability to acquire language?

How does the neural commitment change/develop? Is this directly related to the critical period or are they different?

Kuhl 2004: Perceptual abilities

Why can't monkeys talk if they can perceive a little better than humans?

Are children's ears attuned sharper than adults to hear subtle acoustic changes?

I'm not very clear on the topics that include a continuum of sounds and why babies can distinguish these sounds but outgrow the ability