Research Hypotheses for This Article
On the basis of the theoretical considerations and results from previous research outlined above, the following hypotheses were formulated prior to the initiation of research procedures:
Hypothesis 1. Deaf children of deaf parents compared to deaf children of hearing parents are more likely to show a higher level of intellectual functioning.
Hypothesis 2. Deaf children of deaf parents compared to deaf children of hearing parents are more likely to show a higher level of social functioning, especially apparent in situations requiring ‘‘maturity’’ and ‘‘independence.’’
Hypothesis 3. Deaf children of deaf parents, compared to deaf children of hearing parents, are more
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likely to demonstrate a higher level of communicative competence, including competence in written and spoken, expressive and receptive language.