Child Development and Language Learning

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts discussed in the course related to child development, language learning, and academic writing.

Moral Development

The process through which individuals develop attitudes and behaviors regarding what is right and wrong.

Nativism

A theory posited by Noam Chomsky suggesting that humans are born with an innate ability to acquire language.

Phonology

The sound system of a language, including how words sound and are produced.

Semantics

The study of meanings in language, focusing on the meanings of words and word combinations.

Syntax

The set of rules that dictate the structure of sentences, specifying how words combine to form phrases and sentences.

Pragmatics

The aspect of language that deals with social rules and conventions of communication.

Overextension

A language error where a word is applied too broadly to contexts where it does not apply.

Underextension

A language error where a word is applied too narrowly, failing to include all contexts to which it applies.

Cognitive Process Theories

Theories suggesting that language acquisition involves multiple cognitive abilities, rather than a single innate faculty.

Language Socialization

The process through which children learn language through interactions with more knowledgeable speakers.

Functionalism

The perspective that emphasizes the essential functions language serves in social interaction and communication.

Fast Mapping

A strategy used by children to quickly learn the meanings of new words based on limited exposure.

Infant Directed Speech

A special form of speech that adults use with infants, characterized by a higher pitch, exaggerated intonation, and slower tempo.

Broca's Area

The left frontal region of the brain associated with speech production.

Wernicke's Area

The left temporal region of the brain responsible for language comprehension.

Boolean Searches

Complex search techniques that use operators like AND, OR, NOT to refine the search results in databases.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Lev Vygotsky's concept describing the range of tasks too difficult for a child to master alone but that can be learned with guidance and assistance from more-skilled adults or more-competent peers.

Scaffolding

A teaching technique in which a more knowledgeable person supports a learner, adapting their level of help to fit the learner's current capabilities, then gradually removing the support as the learner gains proficiency.

Assimilation

In Piaget's theory, the process of incorporating new experiences into existing schemes (mental frameworks or concepts).

Accommodation

In Piaget's theory, the process of adjusting existing schemes to fit new experiences and information, or creating new schemes to deal with new information.