Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCH > Week 8: language acquisition > Flashcards

Week 8: language acquisition Flashcards

1
Q

What is phonology?

A

The study of sounds in a language

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is a phoneme?

A

The smallest unit of sound in a language

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

How many phonemes are there in the English language?

A

44

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

How does the number of phonemes in the English language compare to other languages?

A

Language with the fewest (Rotokas) = 11

Language with the most (!Xóõ) = 112

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

The pronunciation of each phoneme differs according to…

A

the surrounding phonemes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is morphology?

A

The study of word structure and meaning

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What are inflections?

A

On the end of words

- ed, ing, s

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What are derivations?

A

Adding chunks to add meaning

inter-nation-al

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is a morpheme?

A

The smallest unit of meaning

Examples of morphemes would be the parts “un-“, “break”, and “-able” in the word “unbreakable”.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What are semantics?

A

The literal meaning of wordsand utterances

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What are pragmatics?

A

Intended meaning of words and utterances

Plus rules for what you can see - these vary with culture and take time to learn

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is grammar?

A

Rules for combining units of language

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is syntax?

A

Rules for putting words in order

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is intonation?

A

Prosodic contour of sentence
(the way you go up and down as you speak)
- Emphasises key words to show meaning
- can identify when you are asking a question

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Language is…

A

An essential part of being human

Mastered very rapidly

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

At what age do children start producing language?

A

12 months

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Language allows infants to…

A

Express and learn information

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Is there a critical or sensitive period for acquiring language?

A

Wild children - ‘Genie’ couldn’t learn the language properly

Migrants - studies of when children moved to the US, language efficiency decreased per age year increase

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Why is there a critical period for language acquisition?

A

Children’s limited knowledge makes the task less daunting - as adults we know how much it will take to learn

Do not have to unlearn anything to take on a new language

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is the hardest element of a new language?

A

Accents

21
Q

Theories of language acquisition can be either…

A

Nature or nurture

22
Q

What is the behaviourist/imitation theory of language?

A

Nurture, not nature
Learning language just like we do any other skill

If you get socially rewarded for using language, you will do it more
Classical conditioning

23
Q

What is the nativist theory of language acquisition?

A

Nature
Suggests we are born ready to learn a language - the brain is preprogrammed

The grammar we hear is imperfect, yet we still learn it
(parents don’t always correct grammar)

Language is a really complex system and not all of it is taught, yet all children acquire it

24
Q

What is the cognitive development view of language acquisition?

A

Language is just another cognitive skill

25
Q

What is the social interactionist view of language acquisition?

A

Language acquisition is facilitated by social cues and interactions

Children learn language in a social context

There is feedback, its just implicit

Child-directed speech

26
Q

What is the statistical learning view of language acquisition?

A

Infants use recurring patterns and sequences in language input to learn about categories and bits of language

Helps you to segment the speech stream

27
Q

What are the critiques for the nativist theory of language acquisition?

A

Ask whether adult models are really that informative -we don’t speak that badly

There is socialization as well (children will learn more through interactions with others and putting the language into practice)

28
Q

Have there been any studies relating to the statistical learning view of language acquisition?

A

8-month-olds exposed to a 2-minute speech stream (non-sense syllable) - there were some regularities
e.g. every time you hear duh, ca came after it

Show novelty preference against these, showing they learned them as a ‘word’ in only 2 minutes

29
Q

In the womb, babies can hear some sounds. This gives them a preference for what after birth?

A

Their mothers voice

30
Q

By 4 days after birth, babies can discriminate between…

A

Speech in their mothers language and a foreign language
They have heard enough of their mothers language to be able to recognize it

As well as male and female voices

31
Q

What is babbling?

A

Where the infant learns to open and close their mouth while phonating

  • creates a string of consonant-vowel combinations
  • practising sounds as a precursor to speech

It is rewarding for the baby, parents respond

32
Q

At what age do infants babble?

A

Begins at 4 to 8 months

33
Q

Do deaf babies babble?

A

Yes they babble with their hands

34
Q

What is interesting about mothers recognizing babble?

A

They can actually tell the difference between babies babbling the language they speak vs. other languages

35
Q

A babies first word is often a…

A

Noun (objects, names)

Often a holophrase (an information loaded single word)

36
Q

What is the vocabulary spurt?

A

A sudden, rapid, acquisition of new words at around 18-20 months old

37
Q

What is fast mapping?

A

Learning to associate a word with concept after only a brief exposure
(exposed once and they learn it)

38
Q

What is child directed speech?

A 
Language directed as infants by adults and older children characterised by
Slow rate 
Exaggerated intonation 
High frequency 
Repetitions 
Simple syntax 
Simple vocab
39
Q

Can child-directed speech help with word learning?

A

The high frequency and exaggerated intonation attracts attention and maintains interest

The slow rate, simple syntax and repetitions make it easier to process and focus on most important words

Simple vocab makes it easier to understand and connect

40
Q

Are there any cultural differences in child-directed speech?

A

American infants get more verbal interaction from mothers and have better comprehension and better verbal and non-verbal reasoning by age 4

Chinese infants have limited verbal interaction from mothers but show educational success

Kaluli and Samoan infants - parents and siblings do not tend to talk to them until they begin to crawl or walk but they learn to talk in the normal time frame

41
Q

More language competence in infants comes from…

A

More language directed at them at home
More stimulating interactions with parents

This is because more interaction = more change to learn

42
Q

What are some common errors in language acquisition later in life?

A

Overextension/overgeneralisation (single word to label similar objects or events)

Under extension (single word in a highly restricted way)

Mismatch (word mapped onto the wrong concept)

43
Q

What are some innate biases that aid word learning?

A
  1. Whole-of-object bias: assume it is the word for the whole thing
  2. Mutual exclusivity bias: the new word must be the thing that you don’t already know
  3. Contextual cues: eg. We saw the baboons at the zoo (must be an animal and must be more than one as is a plural)
44
Q

Learning grammatical rules is often..

A

A U shaped curve

Often begins correctly
Is then over regulated (feets, eated)
Then corrected

45
Q

Up until age 3, speech is..

A

Self directed

46
Q

From age 3 onwards, speech is..

A

More socially oriented and directed to others

47
Q

What type of experience contributes to vocab explosion?

A

Experiencing written language

48
Q

A metaphor involves…

A

Substituting one set of words for another

LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCH (12 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions