Information Processing and Language Development Flashcards
Who is Robbie Case and how did he address the criticism of the Piagetian theory? (3)
Neo-Piagetian psychologist
Used the image of the child as a problem solver:
- children’s activities are goal directed - child is actively seeking to master their environment
- the child builds higher order thinking and skills through trying to deal with more complex challenges
What did Case take from the Piagetian theory? (3)
The focus on active participation of the child in their own development of thinking
The hierarchal integration of schemata
The structure of 4 invariant stages of development from birth to adulthood (sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational)
How did Case explain children’s development through the stages?
Working memory capacity - a model linked to the problem solving perspective
e.g., to work out the sum of 3 numbers mentally, you have to keep in mind the 3rd number as you work out the sum of the first 2
What is our working memory?
the small amount of information that can be held in mind and used in the execution of cognitive tasks
Give 2 examples of how we use our working memory in daily life
- retaining the early part of a sentence while putting the whole thing together
- allows us to consider characteristics of a new situation so that an effective response can be found
How can working memory capacity be increased?
Through automaticity and chunking
What is chunking? Give an example
the recoding of smaller units of information into larger, familiar units
e.g., putting a seven-digit phone number into two groups, one group of three numbers and the second group of four numbers
What are the 4 learning processes?
- Problem solving
- Exploration
- Imitation
- Mutual regulation
What is the neo-Piagetian theory?
a theory of cognitive development that assumes that Piaget’s basic ideas are correct but that uses concepts from information processing theory to explain children’s movement from one stage to the next
What is automaticity? Give examples
something becomes automatic so it doesn’t take resources from our working memory, thus we can do more things at the same time
e.g., walking, speaking, bicycle-riding, assembly-line work, and driving a car
What are 5 steps suggested by Case in designing curricula?
- Specify goals
- Analyze how experts reach goals
- Analyze how children acquire strategies
- Design relevant educational activities
- Implement them in interaction with student needs and progress
What is attention span? (4)
The ability to maintain focus and alertness over a period of time
It requires persistence and motivation
It increases with age
It is related to other aspects of functioning, including learning memory, academic performance, and processing large quantities of information
What is metacognition and its benefits? (2)
awareness and understanding of one’s own cognitive processes - knowing what one knows and how one learns
improves self regulation and leads to more adaptive strategies which can be applied in a wider range of situations
Give the definition of language
Language is a socially shared system that relates sound or gestures to meaning and enables communication
Name the 8 language subsystems and meanings (SPPM-SPPD)
- Semantics - the study of words and their meaning
- Phenology - the rules governing the structure and sequence of speech sounds
- Prosody - the study of the tune and rhythm of speech and how they contribute to meaning
- Morphology - use of grammatical markers indicating number, tense, case, person, gender, active or passive voice, etc.
- Syntax - rules that specify how words are combined to form sentences
- Pragmatics - study of how people use language to communicate effectively (e.g., excuse me vs get out of my way)
- Paralanguage - prosody and other non-verbal cues that express the meaning of what you’re trying to convey
- Discourse structures - how language is connected to situation models, how to communicate a status of superiority, etc.
What is the language acquisition device (LAD)?
an innate mental framework for processing language
Which parts of the brain are associated with language and what are they responsible for? (2)
Broca’s area (left frontal lobe) - supports grammatical processing
Wernicke’s area (left temporal lobe) - comprehension and word meaning
Explain Chomsky’s theory of language development (3)
Nativist approach - we are born with a language acquisition device
language is a product of an unlearned, biologically based, internal mental structure
abstract rules which underlie a language are too complex to be acquired by children
What evidence supports Chomsky’s nativist perspective? (5)
Babbling is a universal phenomenon in infants
Children from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds tend to reach milestones in language development at similar ages
Certain areas of the brain specialize in language functions
There are sensitive periods in some aspects of language development
Even after years of training, animals such as chimps are unable to produce strings of symbols that conform to a rule-based structure
Explain the interactionist perspective of language development (2)
this perspective places emphasis on interactions between inner capacities and environmental issues
theories that follow the interactionist perspective are information processing theories and social interactionist theories
What evidence supports information processing theories?
- artificial neural network models are programmed with basic learning procedures to respond to regularities in the speech system
- the networks are exposed to various types of language input and feedback is given on the accuracy of its responses
- A correct response strengthens the connection while an incorrect response weakens the connection
Explain social interactionist theories
assumes that environmental factors and experiences gained through social interaction are contributing to the child’s language acquisition
Name the stages of development of communication (8) (VSL-CUV-MD)
- Vocalizes and responds to name
- Says 1st words
- Links words to referents
- Combines words into short sentences
- Use of plural, pronouns, etc.
- Verbalize activities
- Most language forms are acquired
- Development of metalinguistic awareness
What is the first step in the development of communication?
Pre-linguistic speech:
at around 2 months, babies begin to make vowel-like noises called cooing
at around 6 months, babbling appears
Describe language development at 6 months (3)
Vocalization with intonation
Responds to name
Responds to human voices and friendly/angry tones
Describe language development at 12 months (4)
First words appear
Infant identifies links between words and objects/actions
Understanding of simple instruction, especially with vocal or physical cues
Infant uses joint attention
Describe language development at 18 months (4)
Vocabulary made up chiefly of nouns
Echolalia ( continuous repetition of a word or phrase)
Jargon with emotional content
Fast mapping - ability to link new words to real life referents
Describe language development at 24 months (3)
Infant combines words into short sentences
Volume and pitch aren’t well controlled
Can use 2 pronouns correctly
Describe language development at 36 months/3 years (3)
Infant can use plurals and pronouns
Verbs begin to predominate
Ability to reason out questions
Describe language development at 48 months/4 years (4)
Child can understand and use at least 4 prepositions
Child understands concepts such as longer, larger, when a contrast is presented
Extensive verbalization during activities
Child readily follows simple commands even with stimulus objects not in sight
Describe language development at 60 months/5 years (3)
Child uses both adjectives and verbs spontaneously, and knows common opposites
Child can count to ten and has simple time concepts
Child uses fairly long sentences and speech is grammatically correct
Describe language development from 5 years onwards (4)
Development of metalinguistic awareness
Development of reading and spelling skills
Improved ability to define words and appreciate their multiple meanings in puns
Judgement of grammatical correctness of sentences
What is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?
the proposal that the particular language one speaks influences the way one thinks about reality
What are the advantages of exposure to a second language in early education? (2)
higher scores on a sub-set of cognitive and social skills than monolingual children:
better selective attention, response inhibition, communication, and cooperation
