Lecture 15 - Language: Foundations

Question 1

What are some theories about how children learn language?

Answer 1

1. Behaviouristic view - classical conditioning - proponent: Skinner
2. Linguistic view - challenged behaviourist view - proponents: Chompsky, Pinker
3. Statistical learning view - highlights the importance of experience and proposes that language is learned in much the same way we learn other cognitive tasks, moving away from this idea that there is some innate skill we have that allows language development.
4. Social-Interactionist View

Question 2

What is one of the main questions when it comes to studying and understanding language?

Answer 2

Language-specific vs General Learning - are we different from animals in that we are able to learn languages because we have language-specific skills or are we able to learn languages because we have higher intelligence?

Likely both I would say.

Question 3

What areas in the brain are language-specific/specialised?

Answer 3

Broca’s area, Wernicke’s area, motor area (for mouth and tongue movement), and primary auditory area.

Question 4

What are the neuron’s in Broca’s area responsible for?

Question 5

What are the neurons in Wernicke’s area responsible for?

Question 6

What do we see in people with Broca’s aphasia?

Question 7

What do we see in people with Wernicke’s aphasia?

Question 8

Where has our understanding of the specialisation of Broca’s and Wernicke’s area come from?

Answer 8

Like many functions of the brain, our understanding for the role of specific areas of the brain often comes from observing the behaviour and cognitive abilities of individuals who have acquired brain damage or lesions or surgery that alters/ removes brain structure.

Question 9

Are there other areas in the brain that process language and engage with our production and understanding of language or is it just Broca’s and Wernicke’s area?

Answer 9

Yes, there are areas of cortex all over the brain that engage in language production and understanding.

Question 10

What is the universal grammar account (UG)?

Question 11

What are some linguistic universals?

Question 12

What insights have been observed in children that grew up in isolation from humans?

Answer 12

They have ok vocabulary, but poor grammar. However, any inferences about language development made from these case studies is highly confounded by many different influences and or starting position of the children before and during their isolation. These inferences and therefore not useful in making generalisations or inferences about language development in general.

Question 13

When does our ability to learn another language drop off?

Answer 13

Around 20 years of age.

Question 14

What evidence is there that suggests a limited role for CDS in children acquiring language?

Hint: !Kung Sun

Question 15

There is larger variation within the same language in regards to how language is acquired than between languages.

True or false?

Answer 15

True.

Question 16

What theory of Language Acquisition is in alignment of Vygotsky’s Theory of Social/Cognitive Development?

Answer 16

The idea that language learning and acquisition occurs due to the social exposure to it. The care giver plays a key role in teaching the child language - zone of proximal development, more knowledgable other

Question 17

What does CDS stand for in regards to Language learning?

Answer 17

Child-Directed Speech.

Question 18

What evidence is there against the importance of CDS?

Answer 18

!Kung Sun tribe do not speak to their children until they can speak. These children learn the language as the same time and rate as children in cultures that do speak to them before they can speak.

Question 19

What evidence is there that CDS does play a role in the development of language comprehension and use?

Answer 19

Children pay more attention to adults that use CDS and a “sing-song” way of speaking.

Question 20

Up until what age are infants receptive to/able to distinguish between all the different phonemes in different languages?

Answer 20

Up to 6 months of age.

Question 21

Classical conditioning is one way of viewing language development.
Who was a proponent of this view.

Answer 21

B. F. Skinner

Question 22

Chompsky thought that the input children get is not rich enough to explain how they can learn and express language the way they do and at the rate they do.

Answer 22

yeAH MAN

Question 23

What is the statistical learning view of language development?

Answer 23

The statistical learning view of language development posits that we have a sensitivity to statistical regularities, focuses on experience. It is different to behehaviourist/classical conditioning view, because it our ability to learn/sensitivity to regularity of patterns is not dependent on the feedback we receive about the event.

Question 24

What areas are involved in language comprehension and production?

Answer 24

Broca’s Area
Wernicke’s Area
Motor Cortex
Auditory Cortex

Question 25

Someone with Broca’s Aphasia will characteristically have what pattern of language

Answer 25

They will understand what is happening but not be able to produce articulate, grammatically correct language.

Question 26

Someone with Wernicke’s Aphasia will show what pattern of language?

Answer 26

They will talk in “word salad” unable to understand content of language very well. Can speak fluently, but what they are saying doesn’t make much sense.

Question 27

What side of the brain has Broca’s area and wernicke’s area?

Answer 27

Broca’s and Wernicke’s area are generally found on the left hemisphere of the brain.

Question 28

What are some language universals?

Answer 28

All languages have vowels and consonants.
Most languages go SUBJECT-OBJECT-VERB

Question 29

Is there a sensitive period for learning language?

Answer 29

Yes. There is a critical/sensitive period. Our ability to learn language drops at around 20 years old.

Question 30

Being exposed to a larger vocabulary increases child’s vocabulary and increases language processing speed.

Question 31

“starting small” helps fro language acquisition.
The fact that children have less capacity for working memory may improve childrens’ ability to learn language.
True?

Answer 31

True.

Question 32

Is there a biological influence to language learning?

Answer 32

Yes. Twin studies suggest that around 30% of ability to acquire and produce language comes from genetics.
Those who are better imitators become more proficient in their language.