infancy final - 2

Is language uniquely human?

Mostly, but some animals (like bats and bees) use communication systems that resemble language.

What is abstract thinking?

A uniquely human ability to use symbols, grammar, and create novel ideas

What supports the idea of a genetic component to language?

All human languages share a basic structure which suggests some kind of innate grammatical framework

What is the "basic structure" of language

agent → action → object

What does the "Productivity" of language refer to?

The human ability to create infinite novel phrases and express unique ideas using a limited set of rules and words

How do newborns communicate?

Unintentional signals like crying, facial expressions, and sounds

When does intentional communication begin in infants?

By ~1 year, they begin using gestures like pointing to intentionally communicate

What is intersubjectivity in infant communication?

It's the infant's growing awareness that they share thoughts and feelings with others

What is gaze following, and when does it develop?

~6-9 months, infants begin to follow where others are looking

What is shared attention, and why is it important?

Shared attention helps infants connect words to things, supporting vocabulary growth

What is the significance of pointing (9-12 months)?

Builds communication skills and connects infants with caregivers

What frequencies do newborns hear best?

Low frequencies, they have better sensitivity to low-pitched sounds at birth.

When do infants develop adult-like sensitivity to higher frequencies?

By 6 months of age.

How long does overall auditory sensitivity continue to improve?

Until about 10 years old, but high-frequency sensitivity stops improving after 4-5 years

How well can 6-month-olds discriminate between tones?

They can tell apart tones that differ by only 2% in frequency.

Can infants recognize changes in music?

Yes, 6-month-olds can detect changes in rhythm and melody, and match melodies even if the key (pitch) changes.

What does this suggest about infant auditory perception?

Infants can perceive relationships between frequencies and musical structures

What is auditory localization?

The ability to detect where a sound is coming from by turning the head left or right.

Can newborns localize sound?

Yes, even newborns turn their heads toward sound, especially human voices.

What does auditory localization depend on?

Time differences in sound reaching each ear.

What does language learning start with in infancy?

Perceiving and parsing the stream of speech into phonemes, syllables, words, and phrases.

What is a phoneme?

The smallest unit of sound that changes the meaning of a word (e.g., /b/ vs. /p/ in "bat" vs. "pat").

What is categorical perception?

The ability to group sounds into meaningful phonemic categories

What is voice-onset time (VOT)?

The time delay between lip opening and vocal cord vibration.

Eimas et al. (1971) — What did this study test?

Whether 1- and 4-month-old infants could perceive the difference between /b/ and /p/ using habituation.

What were the key VOT comparisons in the Eimas study?

20 ms (familiarization sound - /b/)
0 ms (still /b/)
40 ms (/p/)

What was the key question of the Eimas study?

Do infants detect raw time differences, or are they already sensitive to phonemic categories?

What did the results of the Eimas study show?

Infants responded more to the 20 ms vs. 40 ms change (crossing a phonemic boundary) than to the 20 ms vs. 0 ms change (within-category).

Suggests even 1-month-olds categorize sounds like adults.

What does this mean for language development?

Infants are biologically prepared to perceive speech categories

What does the /r/ vs. /l/ issue in Japanese speakers show about phoneme learning?

If a sound isn't used or heard in your language, the ability to discriminate it is lost (between 6-12 months)

What does the Hindi syllable study demonstrate?

Infants can initially discriminate non-native phonemes, but this ability declines without exposure.

What is Universal Phonetic Sensitivity?

At 6-8 months, infants can hear all phoneme contrasts, even from unfamiliar languages.

This decreases by 12 months if its not reinforced

What does this phonemic tuning suggest?

Language learning is shaped by early exposure (use it or lose it)

Can infants learn more than one language at once?

Yes, newborns can distinguish language rhythms, and bilingual infants learn both languages on a normal timeline

Does bilingualism delay language development?

No, as long as there is enough exposure to both languages

What are cognitive benefits of early bilingualism?

improved attention switching and processing skills

What determines how well infants learn language?

Input (the amount and quality of their exposure)

How does nature influence language development?

Infants are biologically prepared to learn language so development follows a universal pattern

What comes first, receptive or expressive language?

Receptive (understanding) comes before expressive (speaking).

What are "home signs"?

Gestural languges created by deaf infants with no formal language exposure

What do home signs prove about language development?

Even without a model, children can invent structured communication (shows language is innate)

What is Infant-Directed Speech (IDS)?

"Baby talk" — slower, higher-pitched, and more emotional speech directed at infants.

Do infants prefer IDS or adult-directed speech?

Infants prefer IDS, especially when it's delivered with positive emotion

What are the benefits of IDS?

Helps focus attention, supports vocab development, aids in parsing individual words, linked to faster language growth

How does responsive caregiving influence language?

Contingent responses lead to more babbling and better speech development.

What are contingent responses?

timely and appropriate responses

Goldstein & Schwade (2008) — What did they find?

Infants whose caregivers responded to their babbling produced more and better speech sounds.

How does high SES affect language development?

leads to more speech exposure and larger vocab

How does low SES affect language development?

leads to fewer words heard and smaller vocab

What is receptive language?

Understanding language.

What does processing and segmenting speech involve?

Recognizing prosody (intonation/rhythm), phonemes, and breaking continuous speech into words.

How does specialization affect language development?

Infants get better at recognizing sounds in their native language.

What is word segmentation and how do infants learn it?

Recognizing word boundaries using syllable patterns, familiar words, visual cues (watching faces), and tactile cues.

What is early language comprehension in infants?

Looking at the correct object when a word is spoken, as early as 6 months for frequent words.

What is cooing and when does it begin?

Long vowel sounds like "ah" or "oo" associated with positive emotion; starts around 6-8 weeks

What is reduplicated babbling?

Repeating the same sound like "bababa"; begins around 6 months.

What is non-reduplicated (variegated) babbling?

Mixed consonant-vowel combos using intonation and rhythm; develops toward the end of the first year.

Do deaf infants babble? What does this suggest?

Yes, but they're delayed in duplicating and producing proper syllables; suggests a biological mechanism

When do infants start using gestures and why?

Around 8-10 months, for requests and communication; linked to physical/motor development

What are referential gestures?

Gestures to indicate or symbolize objects/events, like holding up a toy or pretending to talk on a phone.

When do infants typically say their first words?

~ 9-15 months

What characterizes infants' first words?

Familiar, day-to-day items used in specific and accurate contexts

What is decontextualized language use?

Using words outside of the original context, showing understanding of the word's meaning.

What is lexical development?

Rapid vocabulary growth once the child begins talking.

What are overextensions in early word use?

Using one word too broadly (e.g., "Daddy" for all men)

What are underextensions in early word use?

Using a word too narrowly

When do first word combinations typically occur?

Around age 2

What are pivotal rules in early grammar?

Using pivot words with objects or actions (e.g., "Allgone juice")

What are categorical rules in early grammar?

Combining words from different categories like agent + object (e.g., "Mommy sock")

What is telegraphic speech?

Early sentences that leave out function words (e.g., "Mommy go store")