4: Communication and Language Development in Psychology

Communication and Language Development in Psychology

Language

Shared (mutually agreed upon) system of arbitrary symbols expressed and combined into phonemes, morphemes, and semantics.

Phoneme

In a language, the smallest distinctive sound unit.

Morpheme

Smallest unit that carries meaning; may be a word or part of a word like a prefix.

Grammar

The system of rules used to enable communication.

Semantics

Set of rules about selecting the correct word to convey the meaning you intend.

Syntax

Set of rules for putting the words into correct order according to grammatical standards.

Receptive Language

Individual's ability to understand what's being said to them and about them.

Productive Language

Language that involves the ability to produce words and sentences.

Cooing Stage

Language development milestone when infants begin to make sounds and experiment with vocal cords, starting around 6 weeks.

Babbling Stage

An infant spontaneously utters various sounds (phonemes) unrelated to the household language, beginning at 4 months of age.

One Word Stage

From about age 1 to 2, a child speaks mostly in single words (nouns) and begins to use sounds that carry meaning.

Holophrases

Child's first attempts at using words, typically single words that convey a complete idea.

Telegraphic Speech

At 2 years of age, toddlers combine words into simple commands, mostly nouns and verbs, without syntax.

Critical Period

Childhood has a critical period for mastering certain aspects of language before the language learning window slowly closes.

Sensitive Period

By age 7, those who have not been exposed to either spoken or signed language lose the ability to master any language.

Overgeneralization

When individuals developing language skills make errors such as applying language rules incorrectly, e.g., 'goed' instead of 'went'.

Non-verbal Communication

Communication that does not involve spoken language, including gestures and facial expressions.

Manual Gestures

Nonverbal communication methods such as pointing.

Language Structure

The organization of language, including phonemes, morphemes, and syntax.

Infants' Language Development

Infants prefer looking at faces that are making the sounds they hear and can differentiate sounds.

Predictive Stages of Language Development

Stages of language development including cooing, babbling, one-word stage, and telegraphic speech.

Vowel Sounds

Sounds produced by the vocal cords without any closure in the vocal tract, repeated during the cooing stage.

Consonant Sounds

Sounds produced by obstructing airflow in the vocal tract, included in babbling.

Childhood Language Milestones

Key stages in language development that include cooing, babbling, one-word speech, and telegraphic speech.

Infants' Sound Differentiation

Infants can differentiate sounds and see lip movements before they can speak.

Language Learning Window

The period during which a child can effectively learn language, which begins to close after age 7.

Communication Errors

Mistakes made by children in language development, such as using '-ed' for past tense incorrectly.

Language Rules

The grammatical rules that govern how language is structured and used.

Developmental Stages of Language

Stages through which children progress in their language acquisition.