Language Development

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to language development from the lecture notes.

Behaviorism

A theory of language acquisition proposed by B.F. Skinner, emphasizing the role of reinforcement and imitation in learning language.

Nativism

A theory of language acquisition proposed by Noam Chomsky, suggesting that humans are born with an innate ability to learn language.

Poverty of stimulus

The argument that children do not receive enough linguistic input to learn language solely through behaviorism.

Holophrastic stage

A stage of language development where a single word expresses a whole phrase or idea.

Overextension

A language phenomenon where a child applies a word too broadly, using it in contexts where it is not appropriate.

Fast mapping

A process by which children rapidly learn new words based on minimal exposure.

Telegraphic speech

Early speech that uses two words to convey a simple idea, resembling a telegram.

Overregularization

A language phenomenon where children apply grammatical rules too broadly, resulting in incorrect forms, such as 'I eated the apple'.

Perceptual narrowing

A process in which infants lose the ability to distinguish between sounds not used in their native language as they age.

Symbolic understanding

The understanding that words are symbols that represent objects or ideas.