Chapter 9 Flashcards
Langauge
A symbolic system in which a limited number of signals can be combined according to rules to produce an infinite number of messages
Morphemes
The basic units of meaning that exists in a word
Syntax
Rules specifying how words can be combined to form meaningful sentences in language
Semantics
The aspect of language centering on meanings
Pragmatics
Rules specifying how language is to be used appropriately in different in social contexts to achieve goals
Prosody
The melody or sound pattern of speech, including intonation, stress, and timing with which something is said
Aphasia
A language disorder
Universal Grammar
A system of common rules and properties of language that may allow infants to grow up learning any of the world’s languages.
Langauge Acquisition Device
A set of linguistic processing skills that nativists believe to be innate; presumably the LAD enables a child to infer the rules governing others’ speech and then use these rules to produce language.
Poverty of Stimulus (POTS)
Children could not possibly acquire such an incredibly complex communication system with the limited linguistic input they receive
Child-Directed Speech
The speech adults use with infants and young children: short, simple sentences spoken slowly, in a higher-pitched voice and with an altered quality that seems to help engage infants as they are trying to decipher these vocalizations
Word Segmentation
The ability to break the stream of speech sounds into distinct words
Cooing
An early form of vocalization that involves repeating vowel-like sounds.
Babbling
An early form of vocalization that appears between 4 and 6 months of age and involves repeating consonant– vowel combinations such as “baba” or “dadada.”
Joint attention
The act of looking at the same object at the same time with someone else; a way in which infants share perceptual experiences with their caregivers.
Syntatic bootstrapping
Using the syntax of a sentence—that is, where a word is placed in a sentence—to determine the meaning of the word.
Holophrase
A single-word utterance used by an infant that represents an entire sentence’s worth of meaning.
Vocabulary spurt
A phenomenon occurring around 18 months of age when the pace of word learning quickens dramatically.
Fast mapping
The capacity of young language learners to readily determine the object or other referent of a word and then remember this for future encounters with the word.
Overextension
The young child’s tendency to use a word to refer to a wider set of objects, actions, or events than adults do (e.g., using the word car to refer to all motor vehicles).
Underextension
The young child’s tendency to use general words to refer to a smaller set of objects, actions, or events than adults do (e.g., using candy to refer only to mints)
Telegraphic speech
Early sentences that consist primarily of content words and omit the less meaningful parts of speech such as articles, prepositions, pronouns, and auxiliary verbs.
Functional grammar
An analysis of the semantic relations (meanings such as naming and locating) that children express in their earliest sentences.
Overregularization
The overgeneralization of observed grammatical rules to irregular cases to which the rules do not apply (e.g., saying mouses rather than mice).
Transformational grammer
Rules of syntax that allow a person to transform statements into questions, negatives, imperatives, and other kinds of sentences.
Mastery motivation
An intrinsic motive to master and control the environment that is evident early in infancy.
Metalinguistic awareness
Knowledge of language as a system
Bilingual
Knowing two or more languages.
Alphabetic principle
The idea that the letters in printed words represent the sounds in spoken words.
Emergent literacy
The developmental precursors of reading skills in young children, including knowledge, skills, and attributes that will facilitate the acquisition of reading competence.
Phonological awareness
The understanding that spoken words can be decomposed into some number of basic sound units, or phonemes; an important skill in learning to read.
Dyslexia
Serious difficulties learning to read in children who have normal intellectual ability and no sensory impairments or emotional difficulties that could account for their learning problems.
Fixed mindset
The belief that intelligence and other traits are fixed or static; associated with the tendency to want to prove rather than improve one’s ability
Growth mindset
The belief that intelligence is not fixed but malleable and can therefore be improved through hard work and effort.
Grit
A combination of passion and perseverance to achieve a goal even when faced with obstacles; often found among those who hold a growth mindset.
Mastery (learning) goal
In achievement situations, aiming to learn new things in order to learn or improve ability
Performance goal
A goal adopted by learners in which they attempt to prove their ability rather than to improve it
Person-environment fit
The match between an individual’s personality and environment (e.g., work environment);
Life-course perspective
The view that events such as retirement need to be considered within the context of all the other life events experienced by a person; examples are health trajectory, financial stability, work expectations, friend networks, family situation, and so on.
