Early language acquisition/ learning Flashcards
(15 cards)
How does Behaviourism explain language acquisition?
Through operant conditioning and imitation; children imitate words they hear and are reinforced by praise/approval.
What role do caregivers play in Behaviourist language learning?
They reinforce correct usage with praise and approval.
What did Hart & Risley (1995) find about parental responsiveness?
It is linked to faster vocabulary growth in children.
What is the naming account of language learning?
Proposed by Horne & Lowe (1990s–2000s, Bangor University), it suggests children learn by associating words with objects/events.
What is Chomsky’s (1959) view of language learning?
It is driven by an innate mental structure—the Language Acquisition Device (LAD)—that helps children grasp grammar.
What supports Chomsky’s theory of innate grammar knowledge?
Infants can distinguish grammatical structures before they can speak (Marcus et al., 1999).
Are there alternatives to Chomsky’s innate structure view?
Yes, some cognitive and learning theories explain language development without assuming an innate LAD
What is Piaget’s (1952) constructivist view of language development?
Language develops alongside cognition; symbolic thought must emerge first.
What cognitive ability is linked to first-word acquisition?
Object permanence (Gopnik & Meltzoff, 1987)
What does Vygotsky (1978) propose about thought and language?
Thought and language develop independently at first and then merge, transforming thinking into higher mental functions.
What role does culture play in language development, according to cultural perspectives?
Culture influences how children use language socially or expressively.
What did Fernald & Morikawa (1993) find about cultural speech development?
Children in collectivist cultures develop social speech earlier; individualist cultures foster self-expressive speech.
What do modern genetic perspectives say about language acquisition?
Biological and inherited factors, including specific genes, influence language development.
What gene is strongly linked to language ability?
FOXP2, essential for speech and language processing.
What did Vargha-Khadem et al. (1998) find about FOXP2?
Mutations in FOXP2 in a British family led to grammar, articulation, and comprehension difficulties.
