Ch 6 - Language-learning/teaching processes and young children

Question 1

Evocative Utterances (more question like in intonation)

Answer 1

Language learning strategy

Child names an entity and then waits for adult feedback as to the correctness of the name or label

Question 2

Language learning strategies

Answer 2

Evocative utterances
Interrogative utterances
selective imitation
hypothesis testing
bootstrapping
reformulation

Question 3

Interrogative Utterances (more tell me intonation)

Answer 3

language learning strategy

child attempts to learn name of an entity by asking what? that? or what’s that?

Question 4

Selective Imitation

Answer 4

language learning strategy

child imitates language features that he or she is in the process of learning

Question 5

Hypothesis testing

Answer 5

same as evocative

child seeks confirmation of the name of an entity by naming it with rising intonation, thus posing a yes/no

Question 6

Bootstrapping

Answer 6

Child uses what he knows to decode more mature language

Child may use semantic knowledge to aid in decoding and learning syntax

e.g. bring me the red tray (child may not know what a tray is, but knows the color red) approximation concept

Question 7

Reformulation

Answer 7

caregiver does that

restating what a child has said, but using correct grammatical forms

e.g. child “i catched the ball”
caregiver “you caught the ball!”

Question 8

Extension

Answer 8

comment that provides more semantic information about an object/event

Question 9

Comprehension, production, cognitive growth

Answer 9

Language is strongly related to specific cognitive skills, especially on early word combinations

Cognitive processes: selective attention, discrimination, working +LT memory, categorization

Question 10

Selective attention

Answer 10

Focusing on what an adult says; honing in on one stimulus

Question 11

Discrimination

Answer 11

of different stimuli - can you tell which stimuli input you are receiving and differences

Question 12

Working + LT memory

Answer 12

Working - temporarily stores and manipulates information; ability to take in information as well as utilize inputted information simultaneously - listening to someone in a conversation, while also coming up with a response

LT memory - long term storage

Question 13

Categorization

Answer 13

categorize and classify different stimuli

can i file words that i am hearing

Question 14

2 types of knowledge structures

Answer 14

Event-based knowledge

Taxonomic knowledge

Question 15

Event-based knowledge

Answer 15

Sequences of events/routines, such as birthday party, that are temporal (time) or causal (to cause) in nature and organized towards a goal

The sequence of events contains actors, roles, props, and options/alternatives

Question 16

Taxonomic Knowledge

Answer 16

Consists of categories and classes of words

New words are compared categorically and organized for retrieval

e.g. apples oranges, grapefruits etc. they are all FRUIT

Question 17

Comprehension and Production

Answer 17

KNOW THIS! Within the first 50 words a child will acquire, comprehension will precede production

In general, a child will understand approx 50 words before he/she is able to produce 10 words

The range of comprehended words varies greatly across children

The ability to comprehend words develops gradually and is initially highly dependent on the context in which the word occurs

Question 18

What do toddlers rely on for comprehension?

Answer 18

semantic relations, use of objects, and routines

Two strategies:

1. Do what you usually do

e.g. object - ball; we know the ball will roll, be thrown, dropped, etc. so can figure out what’s a ball and what’s not

2. Act on the object in the way mentioned

e.g. child will throw the ball whether the mom said “now you throw the ball” or “remember how John throws the ball in the baseball game?”

Question 19

Child Learning Strategies

Answer 19

RECEPTIVE STRATEGIES (understand what’s being said)

Reference principle
Extendability principle
Whole object principle
Categorical assumption
novel name-nameless assumption
Conventionality assumption

EXPRESSIVE STRATEGIES (help to develop vocab)

Evocative Utterances
Hypothesis testing
Interrogative Utterances
Selective Imitation

Question 20

Reference Principle

Answer 20

Receptive strategy

People use words to refer to entities

Words actually stand for the entities to which they refer

MUTUAL EXCLUSIVITY ASSUMPTION: each referent has a unique symbol

a referent cannot be both cup and spoon

with maturity, the child learns that there may be multiple referents for some words

Question 21

Extendability Principle

Answer 21

Receptive strategy

Words are extendable

There is similarity, or shared perceptual attributes, that enables the use of one symbol for more than one referent

e.g. pen can be a gel pen, thin pen, thick pen, etc.

Question 22

Whole Object Principle

Answer 22

Receptive strategy

A given word refers to the whole entity, not its parts

Labels for entities refer to the entire entity rather than to a part or an attribute

With maturity, children learn about “parts” later - that a table has legs, top, etc.

Question 23

Categorical Assumption

Answer 23

Receptive Strategy

Used by children as young as 18 months

Used to extend a label to related entities

e.g. cup may be extended to all objects that hold liquid. Based on perceptual attributes, function, world knowledge

With maturity, differentiations can be made between categories

Question 24

Novel Name-Nameless Assumption

Answer 24

Receptive Strategy

Helps a child to link a symbol and referent after only a few exposures

A child assumes that novel symbols are linked to previously unnamed referents

Moms will name, point, hold, or manipulate novel objects

With maturity, a child will rely less on these gestures and more on mom’s language

Question 25

Conventionality Assumption

Answer 25

The child learns to expect meanings to be expressed by others using consistent, conventional forms

I.e. mom does not change the word’s meaning with each use. a cup is a cup.

Question 26

Evocative Utterances (expanded)

Answer 26

Statements that a child will make when naming entities

After a child names, an adult usually gives evaluative feedback that confirms or negates the child’s selection of exemplars or words

The child will then either maintain or modify his meaning

Question 27

Evocative Utterances Info

Answer 27

correlation between the amount of verbal input from an adult at 20 months and vocab size and average utterance length of the child at 2 yyears of age

in general, children are more verbal in homes in which parents are more verbal

Question 28

Hypothesis Testing and Interrogative Utterances (expanded)

Answer 28

Direct methods of acquiring language (expressive strategy)

HT - child seeks confirmation on the name of an entity by naming it with rising intonation, thus posing a yes or no question

IU - child attempts to learn the name of an entity by asking what? what’s that?

Question 29

Selective Imitation

Answer 29

expressive strategy

Imitation is the whole or partial repetition of an utterance or another speaker within no more than 3 successive child utterances

Used in the acquisition of words, morphology, and syntactic -semantic structures

The amount a child will imitate seems to reflect the amount of maternal imitation of her child

important for vocab + transition from single to multi words production

important for single word vocab growth

amount of imitation over time will decrease, especially after 2

*red flags for autism if that imitation continues on significantly past a certain developmental marker

imitation occurs most often during daily routines