Language + Development

developmental psych

a branch of psych that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the lifespan

zygote

the fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo

embryo

the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month

fetus

the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth

teratogens

“monster maker”

agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo and fetus during prenatal development and cause harm

fetal alcohol syndrome

physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman’s heavy drinking - in severe cases, signs include a small, out-of-proportion head and abnormal facial features

habituation

decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation, as infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner

maturation

biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience

piaget’s theory

children aren't just mini adults with less information. Their minds work in qualitatively different ways at different ages, and they actively construct their understanding of the world rather than passively absorbing it.

• they organize info into schemas, either assimilating it or accomodating it

• there are 4 stages of development

cognition

all the mental activites associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

schema

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

assimilation

interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas

accommodation

adapting our current understandings/schemas to incorporate new info

sensorimotor stage

• first in piaget’s theory

• from birth to ~2 yrs old

• during which infants know the world mostly know the world mostly n terms of their sensory impressions and motor activites

• lack object permanence until about 8 months

object permanence

the awareness that things continue to exist even when not percieved

preoperational stage

• 2nd in piaget’s theory

• 2 to ~6/7

• a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic

• lack conservation

• egocentrism

conservation

the principle (which Piaget believed to be a part of concrete operational reasoning) that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of the objects

egocentrism

in Piaget’s theory, the preoperational child’s difficulty taking another’s point of view

theory of mind

people’s ideas about their own and other’s mental sates - about their feelings, perceptions, and throughts, and the behaviors these might predict

autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by significant deficiences in communication and social interaction, and by rigidly fixated interests and repetitive behaviors

concrete operational stage

• 3rd stage in Piaget’s theory

• about 6/7 - 11 yrs old

• children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events

• understand conservation

formal operational stage

• 4th and last stage in Piaget’s theory

• 12+

• people begin to think logically about abstract concepts

vygotsky’s theory

children learn and develop thinking skills through social interaction and culture, rather than acting as lone explorers

• scaffolding

• more knowlegeable other (MKO)

• zone of proximal development (ZPD)

More Knowlegable Other

A teacher, parent, etc, who has more skill or understanding than the learner that helps them

Scaffolding

temporary, adjustable, support given by MKO during a task that is slowly removed as a child gains independence

Zone of Proximal Development

the gap between what a child can do entirely on their own and what they can achieve with help from a MKO

stranger anxiety

the fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age

attachment

an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation, sets a foundation for future relationships

critical period

an optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development

imprinting

the process by which certain animals form strong attachments during an early-life critical period

temperament

a person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity

basic trust

according to erik erickson, a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy; said to be formed during infance by apporpriate experiences with responsive caregivers

self-concept

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, “Who am I?”

Authoritarian Parenting Style

parent behavior

• firm

• sets goals and limits

• encourages independence

• responds to needs of children

child behavior

• well-balanced

• able to make decisions

• high self - esteem

• high self - reliance

Authoritarian Parenting Style

parent behavior

• rigid + punitive

• strict standards and rules

• expects obedience, dictatorial

child behavior

• cnannot make decisions or makes poor decisions

• lower self esteem

• weaker social skills

Permissive Parenting Style

parent behavior

• lax + inconsistent

• undemanding

• little punishment

child behavior

• impulsive and demanding

• more agressive

uninvolved (neglectful)

parent behavior

• detatched emotionally

• sees role as only providing food, clothing, and shelter

child behavior

• low self esteem

secure attachment

• caregiver is “homebase”, child trusts in them to be there

• healthiest attachment style

• child feels free to explore new places and people

insecure-anxious attachment

• child gets confused about what parents’ behavior means and what can be expected in the future

• parent is overractant and inconsistent

insecure-avoidant (disorganized)

• act like caregiver’s comings and goings don’t matter

• child does not fully trust parent and distances self

• parent is underreactant

language

our spoken, written, or signed words + the ways we combine them to communicate meaning

Phonemes

the smallest destinctive sound unit in a language

ex: “bat” - b, a, and t

Morephemes

the smallest unit that carries meaning; may be a word or part of a word

ex: pre- in preview

grammar

a system of rules that enables us to communicate with and understand others in a given language - semantics is the set of rules for deriving meaning from sounds and syntax is the set of rules for combining words into sensible sentences

receptive language

part of communication that lets you take in and make sense of language

productive language

ability to produce words, matures after receptive language