Language Development in Early Childhood

These flashcards cover key concepts related to language development in early childhood, including vocabulary growth, grammar acquisition, and the impact of interactions on language learning.

Fast mapping

A cognitive process that allows children to quickly learn new words by connecting them to existing knowledge.

Mutual exclusivity assumption

The assumption that each object has only one label, which helps children learn new words.

Vocabulary development at age 2

2-year-olds typically know about 500 words.

Vocabulary development at age 3

3-year-olds typically know about 900-1,000 words.

Vocabulary development at age 6

6-year-olds use approximately 2,600 words and can understand more than 20,000 words.

Early Grammar

The stage in language development where children start to combine words into sentences following grammatical rules.

Importance of interactive learning

Interactive learning positively influences language acquisition more than passive activities like watching videos.

Parental conversations

Engaging in discussions with children supports faster and more accurate language use.

Vocabulary learning rate

Children can learn thousands of new words each year, despite occasional errors in understanding.

Errors in vocabulary interpretation

Children may misunderstand relative terms, such as interpreting 'tall' as referring to all tall objects.