Speech and Language Development in Infancy l

Question 1

What are the two main theories of language acquisition ?

Answer 1

Nativists Theories
Empiricist Theories

Question 2

Attempts to discover
constant processes
underlying observable data
ex: “I want milk” => Analyze the form of the utterance
ex: Evidence that the child
knows English word order

Answer 2

Distinguishing features of Structuralism

Question 3

• Establish predictive
  relationships between
  situational variables and
  language
• “I want milk” =>Utterance
  is followed by a glass of
  milk

Answer 3

Distinguishing features of Functionalism

Question 4

What describes competence in language development?

Answer 4

• Individualʼs knowledge of
  language
• structuralists

Question 5

What describes performance in language development?

Answer 5

• Actual instances of
  language use
• Functionalists

Question 6

What are the classical theories?(2)

Answer 6

Behavioral and Linguistic

Question 7

What are the interactionist theories? (3)

Answer 7

Cognitive, Social, Usage/Gestural

Question 8

• Classical and operant conditioning (reinforcement)
• Productive speech is the result of reinforcements and
  punishments supplied by environmental agents
• Language development is determined by training, not
  maturation
• Imitation is an important factor for language learning

Answer 8

Behavioral Approach

Question 9

-Language is innate in humans
- Language has a structure (or grammar) that is
independent of language use
-Chomsky: Language faculty a Component of the brain devoted to language

Answer 9

Linguistic Approach

Question 10

• Internal structures determine behavior
• Invariant order of acquisition across languages
• Piaget: Language is not a separate innate characteristic,
  but rather an ability that results from cognitive
  development
• sequence of cognitive development determines the
  sequence of language development

Answer 10

Cognitive Approach

Question 11

Combines aspects of behavioral and linguistic approaches
- Speech directed to children (motherese or infant-directed
speech) facilitates language development
- Language emerge from interplay between children’s linguistic
and cognitive capacities and social environment

Answer 11

Social Approach

Question 12

Language acquisition is the product of cognitive and social
processes
- Human language roots consist of communicative pointing and
iconic gestures
- American Sign language à Full and genuine language
- Mirror neurons: a neuron that fires both when performing an
action and when observing the same action performed by
another person

Answer 12

Usage Based

Question 13

System of categories, mechanisms and constraints shared by
all human languages and considered to be innate:

Answer 13

Universal grammar

Question 14

According to Chomsky: the language faculty must have at least 2 components:

Answer 14

Cognitive system - information storage
Performance system - Access information and makes use of it

Question 15

Innate biological language
component that specializes in
language processing

Answer 15

Language acquisition device

Question 16

Linguistic approaches: ___________ triggers the maturation of a ___________ based language system but does not shape verbal ____________

Answer 16

Linguistic approaches: Environment riggers the maturation of a physiologically based language system but does not shape verbal behavior.

Question 17

Linguistic approaches favors _________ (formal organization of grammar )over ___________ .

Answer 17

Competence over performance

Question 18

According to Vygotsky: __________ development results from interaction between
children _________ skills and _______experiences

Answer 18

Cognitive development results from interaction between
children innate skills and social experiences

Question 19

According to Vygotsky: ________ interaction between an __________ and a “capable”
person (e.g., caregivers) is critical for language ______________

Answer 19

Social interaction between an infant and a “capable”
person (e.g., caregivers) is critical for language acquisition

Question 20

Focus on measurable aspects of language behavior
- Avoids mentalistic explanations (e.g., intentions or
implicit knowledge of grammatical rules)
- Emphasize performance over competence
- Language is a behavior
- Child is typically view as a passive recipient of stimuli

Answer 20

Behavioral Approach

Question 21

• Critical Period for language
• It favors competence over performance
• Language Acquisition Device
  -Environment triggers maturation of a physiologically based language system but does not shape verbal behavior

Answer 21

Linguistic approach

Question 22

What are the 3 types of interactive approaches?

Answer 22

Cognitive
Social
Usage-based

Question 23

Which approach states that:
Multiple factors affect development (e.g., social, linguistic,
biological, cognitive) and these factors interact with each
other

Answer 23

Interactionist approach

Question 24

Nonlinguistic aspects of
interaction are key: turn-taking,
mutual gaze, joint attention, and
cultural conventions
- Social interactive language
learning à Interactions between
caregivers and children are the
basis for future conversational
patterns ( S t e r n e t a l ., 1 9 7 7 )
- Environment plays an important
role in childʼs language growth

Answer 24

Social Interaction Approach

Question 25

Area between what a
child can accomplish independently (actual developmental
level) and what he can accomplish with another person
who has greater knowledge or skills (level of potential
development)

Answer 25

Zone of proximal development

Question 26

According to the Gestural Usage-based approach:
_________ plays an
important role in
communication
__________ can convey the same
information as a spoken
sentence without mastering
syntactic rules

Answer 26

Pointing
Signs

Question 27

• Grammar à Emerges in the child through cognitive skills (pattern finding) and interactions with caregivers
• Language is a social phenomenon
• Joint attention is key
• Pattern finding facilitates child’s language acquisition

Answer 27

Gestural Usage-Based

Question 28

What are the stages of Cognitive Development according to Piaget?

Answer 28

Sensorimotor - birth to 2yrs
Preoperational - stage 2 to 7yrs
Concrete Operational Stage - 7 to 11 yrs
Formal operational stage - 12 and up

Question 29

Stage of Cognitive Development:
Concepts attached to concrete situations. Time, space, and quantity are understood and can be applied, but not as independent concepts

Answer 29

Concrete operational

Question 30

Stages of cognitive development: Coordination of senses with motor responses, sensory curiosity about the world. Language used for demands and cataloguing. Object permanence is developed.

Answer 30

Sensorimotor