Educational Psychology and Language Acquisition Flashcards

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering developmental psychology, learning theories (Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner, Bandura, Pavlov, Skinner), language acquisition hypotheses (Krashen), and linguistic subfields.

What are the four stages of cognitive development according to Jean Piaget, along with their age ranges?

The four stages are Sensorimotor stage ($0-2$ years old), Pre-operational stage ($2-7$ years old), Concrete operational stage ($7-11$ years old), and Formal operational stage ($12$ years and above).

What characterizes the Sensorimotor stage ($0-2$ years old) in Jean Piaget's theory?

Children explore and learn about the world through their five senses: smell, taste, hearing, feeling, and eyesight.

What characterizes the Pre-operational stage ($2-7$ years old)?

The child imitates others and begins to develop language.

What key cognitive skills develop during the Concrete operational stage ($7-11$ years old)?

The school-age child remembers information and develops concepts of conservation and classification.

What abilities define the Formal operational stage ($12$ years and above)?

The brain is developed enough to solve complex problems, think logically, and think abstractly.

What is the core idea of Lev Vygotsky's Socio-Cultural Theory?

Learning happens first through social interaction and is then internalized by the individual.

How is a More Knowledgeable Other (MKD) defined in Vygotsky's theory?

Anyone who has a better understanding or a higher ability level than the learner regarding a specific task, process, or concept.

What is the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)?

The distance between what a learner can do independently and what they can do with guidance and encouragement from an MKD.

What is scaffolding in the learning process?

Temporary support given to a student by an MKD during the learning process, which is gradually removed as the student becomes independent.

What is Jerome Bruner's Discovery in Learning method?

An inquiry-based learning method where students actively interact with their environment by exploring and manipulating objects, wrestling with questions, or performing experiments.

How does Jerome Bruner define the Spiral Curriculum?

Complex ideas should be introduced simply at first, then revisited at a more advanced level as the learner matures.

What are Jerome Bruner's Three Modes of Representation?

Enactive (action-based learning by doing), Iconic (image-based learning through pictures or visual aids), and Symbolic (language-based learning through words and abstract symbols).

What is Observational Learning according to Albert Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory?

People learn by watching, modeling, and imitating the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others.

What is vicarious learning?

Learning from the successes or failures of others without directly experiencing the consequences oneself.

How is Self-Efficacy defined in Social Cognitive Theory?

A person's belief in their own ability to succeed and complete tasks effectively.

What three factors mutually influence human behavior in Bandura's Reciprocal Determinism?

Personal/cognitive traits, the environment, and behavior itself.

What is the main distinction in Stephen Krashen's Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis?

Acquisition is more effective for natural communication (e.g., learning by talking), whereas learning occurs through explicit studying of language rules.

What is the role of the Monitor in Krashen's language model?

It functions as a grammar checker to correct language mistakes during production.

What is Krashen's Input Hypothesis ($i+1$)?

Language acquisition occurs when learners receive input that is one step beyond their current level of competence (e.g., moving from 'the boy is eating' to 'the boy is eating an apple').

How does the Affective Filter impact language acquisition?

A high affective filter (caused by anxiety, stress, or fear of making mistakes) blocks learning, whereas a low affective filter promotes learning.

In Pavlov's classical conditioning experiment, what were the Unconditioned Stimulus, Conditioned Stimulus, and Conditioned Response?

The Unconditioned Stimulus was food, the Conditioned Stimulus was the bell associated with food, and the Conditioned Response was salivation in response to the bell.

What is Extinction in classical conditioning?

The gradual disappearance of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus.

What are Generalization and Discrimination in classical conditioning?

Generalization occurs when a stimulus similar to the original conditioned stimulus produces the conditioned response; Discrimination occurs when the organism salivates only to the specific training bell.

What is the core principle of B.F. Skinner's Operant Conditioning?

Desirable outcomes make a behavior likely to be repeated, while unpleasant outcomes make a behavior unlikely to recur.

How do Positive Reinforcement and Negative Reinforcement differ in Operant Conditioning?

Positive Reinforcement adds a desirable stimulus to encourage behavior (e.g., final exam exemption for winning), whereas Negative Reinforcement removes an unpleasant stimulus to encourage behavior.

How do Positive Punishment and Negative Punishment differ in Operant Conditioning?

Positive Punishment adds an unpleasant stimulus to reduce behavior (e.g., extra household chores), whereas Negative Punishment removes a desirable stimulus to reduce behavior (e.g., taking away a phone).

How are Pragmatics, Morphology, and Semantics defined in linguistics?

Pragmatics is the practical use of language; Morphology is the structure and form of words; Semantics is the study of meaning.

What examples of animal communication are listed in the lecture notes?

Whales sing, wolves howl, dogs bark, and birds chirp.

What are the two Receptive Skills and two Production Skills in language?

Receptive Skills are Listening and Reading; Production Skills are Speaking and Writing.