developmental psych test 3

what are the 4 fundamentals of communication?

spoken, written, signed, and nonverbal

what are the 3 fundamental characteristics of language?

it’s systematic, has infinite generativity, and follows organizational rules

what is linguistic comprehension?

the ability to understand language

what is receptive vocabulary?

the words a child can understand when they hear/read them

what is linguistic production?

the ability to speak/produce language

what develops earlier: linguistic comprehension or production?

linguistic comprehension begins earlier and develops faster

what is an example of the development of linguistic comprehension?

a child can understand 50 words at 13 months old

what is an example of the development of linguistic production?

a child can produce 50 words at 18 months

what are 4 examples of prelinguistic communication?

crying, cooing, babbling, and gestures

what is the purpose of pre-linguistic communication?

to practice, communicate, and attract attention

what are examples of gestures?

words as symbols, pointing, and sign/hand babbling

what did Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn research?

conducted longitudinal research on baby signs

what did research find as the baby sign rates for males?

20.7 baby signs (range 9-51)

what did research find as the baby sign rates for females?

19.7 baby signs (range 10-61)

what advantages did research find for baby signs?

advanced language development, longer sentences, and higher SAT scores

what are the 5 language rules?

phonological skills, morphological skills, syntax, semantics/vocabulary, and pragmatics

what are phonological skills?

an awareness of sounds, such as syllables and rhymes

what are morphological skills?

understanding the meaning of word forms and parts

what is syntax?

understanding word order and grammar rules

what is semantics/vocabulary?

understanding the meaning of words/phrases

what is pragmatics?

understanding the social rules of communication

what is a phoneme?

the smallest unit of sound in language

how many phonemes are there in the English language?

40

what are the phonemes in the word “knock”?

3 phonemes - /n/ /o/ /k/

what is a morpheme?

the smallest units of language that carry meaning

what are the morphemes in the word “cats”?

2 morphemes - “cat” and “s”

what are the 3 main types of infant cries?

basic (hunger), pain, anger

what is a basic (hunger) cry like?

follows a rhythmic pattern (cry, pause, cry), often starts softly and gets louder if needs are not met

what is an anger cry like?

more loud, harsh, and forceful than a basic cry

what is a pain cry like?

more sudden and intense, begins with loud/long cry followed by breath holding, often higher-pitched

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how do infants recognize different language sounds from after 6 months?

they begin to specialize and focus on their own language

when do infants begin detecting word boundaries?

by 8 months

what are the 8 characteristics of infant/child-directed speech?

• short simple sentences

• high pitch

• tone varies

• repetition of words

• frequency range changes

• amusing sound

• imitates infant’s speech/sounds

• informal structure

when does an infant typically say their first word?

at 10-15 months

what are the common types of first words?

familiar people, objects, and animals

when does the vocabulary spurt occur?

at 18 months

what is the vocabulary spurt?

the period when children begin learning new words very rapidly

how does a child’s vocabulary change during vocabulary spurt?

increases from 50 to 200 words within 6 months

what is fast mapping in the vocabulary spurt?

the process by which children learn a new word’s meaning after being exposed to it only a few times

what is an example of fast mapping?

child hears “can you hand me the gazzer”, child will learn that the “gazzer” is the unfamiliar object that they see

what is a holophrase?

a single word a child uses to represent a whole phrase or sentence

what is an example of a holophrase?

“milk” means “i want milk”

when do two-word utterances begin?

18-24 months

what are two-word utterances used for?

to identify, locate, request, show ownership, or question

what are two-word utterances supported by?

gestures, tone, and context

what is telegraphic speech?

occurs when children use short and simple sentences that contain only most important words

what is an example of telegraphic speech?

mommy go work

what is overextension?

occurs when a child uses a word for a larger category of things than it actually applies to

what is an example of overextension?

calling all four-legged animals “dog”

what is underextension?

occurs when a child uses a word too narrowly, applying it only to one specific object/situation

what is an example of underextension?

calling only the family’s pet a “dog”

when do sentence structure skills advance?

at age 3

how do children produce more complex sentences?

sentence length increases, they produce all vowels and most consonants

how do children strengthen morphology rules?

they understand and use plural forms, appropriate endings, prepositions, and articles

how many words do children know at age 6?

about 14,000 words, linked to fast mapping

how many words do children know at age 11?

about 40,000 words

how do children increase their communication skills?

through use of pragmatics, turn-taking, staying on topic, and politeness

what does the phonics approach focus on?

breaking up words/letters into sounds

when is the phonics approach helpful?

for beginning readers and children struggling with decoding

what does the whole word language approach focus on?

the meaning and comprehension of words

when is the whole word language approach helpful?

when building comprehension and motivation to read

what is mental vocabulary, and when does it develop?

the use of language for things that are not physically present, develops during middle/late childhood

what is metalinguistic awareness, and when does it develop?

the ability to think about and understand language itself, develops during middle/late childhood

what is Chomsky’s language acquisition device?

inborn, biological mental system that helps children develop language

what did Chomsky believe about language development?

that humans are biologically programmed for language

what does Chomsky’s theory suggest about the timing of language development?

suggests that there is a critical period

what is the sensitive period of language development?

the time in development where the brain is in its optimal stage to learn language

what do sensitive periods support the idea of?

that language development is influenced by both biology and environment

how is bilingualism developed with age?

it becomes more difficult to learn with age

when is new vocabulary easier to learn?

for adolescents and adults

when are new sounds and grammar easier to learn?

for younger children

what advantages is bilingualism linked to?

cognitive and langage advantages

what area of the brain influences production and grammatical processing?

Broca’s area in the left frontal lobe

what area of the brain influences comprehension?

Wernicke’s area in the left hemisphere

how does environment influence language?

impacts intrinsic interest in understanding and interacting with the world

what environmental factor is most influential to learning development?

the support and involvement of caregivers

what is recasting?

correcting or improving a child’s sentence by repeating it in the correct form without directly telling the child that they were wrong

what is an example of recasting?

child says: “doggy runned fast”

parent says: “yes, the dog ran fast”

what is expanding?

taking a child’s short statement and adding more words/details to model more advanced language

what is an example of expanding?

child: “big truck”

parent": “yes, that is a big red truck”

what is labeling?

naming objects, actions, emotions, or experiences so children connect words with meanings

what is an example of labeling?

parent points to a ball and says “that is a ball” to a child

what are the basic factors that influence emotional expression and feelings?

emotional competence, early relationships, biology, experience, and environment

what is the functionalist view of emotions?

the idea that emotions help us adapt to specific contextual demands, are relational, and are linked to our goals

what are 3 examples of primary emotions?

surprise, joy, sadness

when do primary emotions emerge?

first 6 months

what are 3 examples of self-conscious emotions?

embarrassment, empathy, and pride

when do self-conscious emotions emerge?

between 18-24 months

what is a reflexive smile?

involuntary smiles shown by infants since birth, usually happen during sleep or after feeding

what are social smiles?

intentional smiles occurring in response to people or social interaction

when do social smiles typically begin?

4-6 weeks

why is it important that caregivers respond to crying especially in the first year?

it increases sense of trust and secure attachment

what is stranger anxiety?

when an infant becomes nervous, fearful, or upset around unfamiliar people

when does stranger anxiety start, and when is it most intense?

starts at 6 months, most intense at 9 months

what is separation anxiety?

distress occurring when a child is separated from their caregiver

when does separation anxiety peak?

at 15 months

why do stranger and separation anxiety occur?

advances in brain development, memory, and cognition

what is social referencing?

when infants look to caregiver’s facial expressions, tone of voice, or reactions to help them decide how to respond in unfamiliar situations

when is social referencing prevalent?

at 12 months