Chapter 6 - Language Development and Symbol Use

Question 1

By what age are children very good with comprehension?

Answer 1

age 5

Question 2

What are the two types of language? What is the difference between the two?

Answer 2

expressive - what we can produce
receptive - what can we comprehend (both in signed or spoken language)

Question 3

What are the basic components of language? Are they seen in all languages?

Answer 3

1) sounds are combines to form words
2) sentences are formed to compose stories, conversations, and narratives
3) words are combines to form sentences

yes, all human languages share similarities

Question 4

What are the first parts of language comprehension which develope?

Answer 4

1) phonological dev’t - identifying sounds, learning phonemes
2) semantic dev’t - learning meanings of sounds
3) syntactic dev’t - learning syntax rules for combining words (grammar)
4) pragmatic dev’t - learning context in which words are learned

Question 5

Do animals use language?

Answer 5

• no, animals can communicate but don’t use language bc they can’t speak or use syntax

Question 6

Which part of the brain is responsible for expression and speech production.

Answer 6

Brocas Area

Question 7

Describe the critical period

Answer 7

The period from birth - 5 years old in which you must learn a language to be at the native level

Question 8

Describe the Genie Case Study? Was she able to learn language?

Answer 8

• Genie’s parents kept her socially isolation for her entire life and abused her
• once rescued from her situation she was able to learn vocabulary and basic communication, but not develop language
• example of existence of critical period

Question 9

How do we teach kids language?

Answer 9

Infant-directed speech:
- slowing things down
- repeating words
- high pitch speaking

Question 10

What are the most important things needed to learn language?

Answer 10

• people (human environment)
• the human brain

Question 11

What is prosody?

Answer 11

• includes sensitivity to spoken language characteristics: rhythm, tempo, cadence, melody, international patterns

Question 12

What is voice onset time?

Answer 12

the amount of time it takes to pronounce words that sound similarly

Question 13

Describe the voice onset time studies done on babies?

Answer 13

• babies (~4 months) were given pacifiers that change the sound they’re listening to depending on their sucking pattern
• after a while they get habituated, and suck in a different pattern for new song
• they began to go back and forth
• able to distinguish phonemes at young age

Question 14

How does babies/ infants’ ability to discriminate sounds from different languages change over time? What does this demonstrate?

Answer 14

• at 6-8 months ability to discriminate peaks as almost 100%
• by 8-10 months abilities decrease slightly
• by 10-12 months abilities are almost non existent, and they perform the same as adult would
• demonstrates the rapid language development that occurs in early life

Question 15

What are the standard steps taken in the progression of language development?

Answer 15

1) crying (at 1 month)
2) cooing (6-8 weeks)
3) babbling (7 months)
4) single-word stage (10-15 months)
5) telegraphic speech( (18-24 months)

*babies all around the world follow stages 1-3 at the given time markers

Question 16

What may happen to the order of language development milestones if babies are raised in a language-deprived environment?

Answer 16

• stages 4 and 5 (single-word and telegraphic speech) may not be met
• ex: deaf babies with hearing parents

Question 17

What is cooing? when does it start?

Answer 17

• starts around 6-8 weeks
• infants start producing drawn out vowel sounds

Question 18

What is babbling? when does it start?

Answer 18

• begins round 6-10 months
• repetition of strings of sounds comprising aconstants followed by a vowel (pa, ma, ba)

Question 19

What is the order of early word recognition?

Answer 19

1) infants first recognize words
2) then comprehend
3) then produce them

Question 20

At what age are babies able to reference words, say their first words, an produce two-word utterances

Answer 20

• reference at 6 months
• first words st 15 months
• two words at 24 months

Question 21

Describe the holophrastic period.
What does it lead to?

Answer 21

a period where infants suggest a whole phrase with a single word

• example: saying “drink” to indicate “I would like to drink that”
• leads to the overgeneralization of words to other things

Question 22

Does SES influence language development?

Answer 22

yes

Question 23

What is the difference in the linguistic environment of children raised in different SES

Answer 23

• children in higher SES often have more words spoken to them within the first few years of life which influences the richness of the linguistic environment
• lower SES children have significantly less words exposed to them in their early years
• all children have roughly the same levels of conversation, but the quality/ complexity of language is the primary difference

Question 24

Describe the Justice et al. study about improving language development

Answer 24

• This study was designed to help improve the vocabulary of children from low SES families
• kids were read story book with 60 new words
• kids w low vocab initially were able to remember new words the best
• similar to linguistic scaffolding

Question 25

Describe the Ridge et al case study about grocery stores

Answer 25

• signs were put up around grocery stores which encourages parents to interact with their children
• signs had questions like “where does milk come from?”
• increased interaction is good for language dev’t

Question 26

What is fast mapping?

Answer 26

rapidly learning a new word simply from the contrastive use of familiar and unfamiliar words
- kids 1-2 y/o can successfully do this

Question 27

What is novel mapping?

Answer 27

• introducing novel items with familiar ones to quickly distinguish and learn what the new item is

Question 28

What are pragmatic cues?

Answer 28

the use of emotion to cue the correct answer