A1 THE ROLE OF SPEECH, COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE IN CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT

Flashcards covering key theories and developmental stages of speech and language acquisition, including Chomsky, Bruner, Brown, Piaget, and Vygotsky.

Language Acquisition Device (LAD)

A hypothetical part of the human mind proposed by Noam Chomsky that enables infants to acquire and produce language.

Universal grammar

An innate understanding of the structure of language, consisting of subject, verb, and object, which Chomsky argues is the basis for all languages.

Spiral curriculum

A concept by Jerome Bruner where children are helped to develop new ideas at a basic level, which are then revisited and gradually become more complex.

Language Acquisition Support system (LASS)

A theory by Bruner observing that children need social interaction and a language-rich environment facilitated by adults to develop cognitive and language skills.

Scaffolding

The process of supporting children in their learning to help them reach the next level of cognitive and language development, based on Vygotsky's ZPD.

Mean length of utterances (MLU)

A formula used by Roger Brown to measure the linguistic productivity in children based on the length of their spoken sentences.

Morphemes

Units of grammar used by Roger Brown to track the development of language complexity in children.

Telepathic speech

The joining of two words together, such as 'teddy gone', typically occurring during Brown's Stage $1$ between $15-30$ months.

Enactive representation

Learning through physical actions where information is gained through hands-on activity and stored in memory.

Iconic representation

Image-based learning where children use one thing to represent another, using pictures alongside words to store visual images.

Symbolic representation

The use and understanding of abstract symbols to represent ideas and form mental pictures.

Sensorimotor stage

Piaget's first stage ($Birth$ to $2$ years) where infants learn about the environment through senses and physical exploration.

Pre-operational stage

Piaget's second stage (From $2$ to $7$ years) involving symbolic behavior like drawings and pretend play, but without logical thinking.

Concrete operations

Piaget's third stage (From $7$ to $11$ years) where children use practical resources and logic to understand things they see.

Formal operations

Piaget's fourth stage (From $11-18$ years) characterized by the ability for abstract thoughts, rational thought, and problem-solving.

Zone of proximal development (ZPD)

The difference between what a child can achieve independently and what they can achieve with support from an adult or more knowledgeable peer.

Social constructivism

The theory that language development is a social process and that adults are critical for facilitating cognitive development.

Social speech

A type of speech identified by Vygotsky that is used by children to communicate with others.

Private speech

Speech directed to the self for self-direction, helping a child develop thought processes during play.

Constructivist theory (Piaget)

A theory based on four suppositions: children are active learners, they think differently from adults, they construct meaning from experiences, and cognition precedes language.