L7-Infancy Pt. 2

Lecture Objectives

• Explore the three stages of language production in infants.

• Describe the biological and environmental influences on language development.

Defining Language

• Language is a form of communication that includes spoken, written, or signed symbols.

• Essential for speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

• Language develops rapidly during infancy.

Language Production Stages

• Stages of Language Production: Babbling, First Words, Two-Word Gestures.

Language Production: Babbling and Gestures

• Crying: Different cries signal various needs (from birth on).

• Cooing: Gurgling sounds that express pleasure (2-4 months).

• Babbling: Combinations of consonants and vowels (6 months).

• Gestures: Actions like showing, pointing, and waving (8-12 months).

Language Production: Baby Signing

• Baby Signing: Approach teaching infants keyword signing before speaking (Doherty-Sneddon, 2008).

• Potential Benefits:

  • Earlier communication of needs.

  • Advanced speech and cognitive development.

  • Reduced frustration and emotional outbursts.

  • Strengthened parent-child bonds.

• Current View: Mixed results on whether baby signing benefits language development (Kirk et al., 2013).

Language Production: Attention

• Importance of Attention: Focused mental resources on specific information.

  • Joint Attention: Parent and child focusing on the same object/event.

  • Sustained Attention: Duration the infant looks at an object/event.

Language Production: First Words

• Holophrases: Single words that represent complete thoughts.

• Vocabulary Development:

  • Spoken Vocabulary: Words used by the child.

  • Receptive Vocabulary: Words baby understands.

  • Milestones:

    • 12 months: Babys first word.

    • 13 months: Understands about 50 words.

    • 18 months: Produces 50 words.

• Nouns: Typically easiest words to learn (e.g., dog, cat).

• Vocabulary Spurt: Rapid vocabulary increase occurs around 18 months.

• 50 words at 18 months

• 200 words at 2 years

Language Production: Two-Word Utterances

• Age Range: 18-24 months.

• Telegraphic Speech: Two-word utterances convey meaning, often relying on gestures and context.

• Examples: "What's that?" "Big car."

Patterns of Two-Word Utterances

• Functions:

  • To locate/namer.

  • To demand.

  • To negate.

  • To indicate possession.

  • To modify/qualify.

  • To question.

Language Development: Biological Influences

• Prerequisites for Language:

  • Functional vocal apparatus.

  • Brain supporting language comprehension and production.

• Babies globally follow a similar path in speech learning.

• Humans are biologically predisposed to learn language (Chomsky, 1957).

Language Development: Environmental Influences

• Interactions with Caregivers:

  • Importance of shared reading, games, and infant-directed speech.

  • High pitch, slow tempo, and dramatic intonation during speech enhance learning.

• Influence of Socioeconomic Status (SES):

  • Findings by Hart & Risley (1995):

    • Low SES households: ~620 words/hour.

    • High SES households: >3 times the number of words.

Emotional and Personality Development

• Emotions: Subjective reactions associated with physiological and behavioral changes.

• Roles:

  • Communicate with others.

  • Organize behavior.

• Classifications:

  • Positive Emotions.

  • Negative Emotions.

Early Emotions

• Primary Emotions: Expressed in the first 6 months (e.g., joy, fear). Anyone can sooth them. 6 months before child begins to have a preference.

• Self-Conscious Emotions: emotions child express after 1 year (e.g., jealousy, pride). emergence of self-awareness.

• Crying: Main form of communication.

  • Types: Basic, Anger, Pain cries.

Emotional Expressions: Crying

• Colic: healthy baby cries for a very long time, no obvious reason.

  • Most common first 6 weeks of life

• Colin Defined when baby: cries more that 3 hours a day, more than 3 days a week, for more than 3 weeks.

Emotional Expressions: Smiling

• Smiles: Critical social skill.

  • Reflexive Smile: Occurs without external stimuli (first month).

  • Social Smile: Occurs in response to external stimuli (2 months +).

Fear and Anxiety

• Stranger Anxiety: Fear of strangers appears around 6 months,

• Less fear of other children than adult strangers.

• Less fearful of friendly, smiling strangers than passive, unsmiling strangers.

Attachment Development

• Attachment Bond: Reciprocal emotional bond between infant and caregiver.

• Contact Comfort: Comfort received from physical contact with caregiver.

• Erikson's Theory: Trust vs. mistrust as foundation for attachment.

Phases of Attachment Development

• Phase 1: Birth to 2 months - baby will take anyone to have their needs met. Direct attachment to humans.

• Phase 2: 2-7 months - preference for one caregiver. Baby will actively follow parent around.

• Phase 3: 7-24 months - directed attachment to caregivers.

• Phase 4: 24 months + - Close attachment to people around them (not just primary caregiver). Gain independence. Child can direct their own actions

Patterns of Attachment

• The Strange Situation (Ainsworth, 1979): Assesses attachment behaviors through separations and reunions.

• Secure Attachment: Uses parent as a secure base for exploration.

• Insecure Attachment Patterns:

  • Avoidant: Avoids parent, indifferent upon return.

  • Resistant: Clings; resists closeness.

  • Disorganized: Confused behaviors, lack of a clear attachment style.

Long-Term Effects of Attachment

• Secure Attachment: Linked to positive outcomes such as increased empathy, resilience, and long-term relationship stability.

• Insecure Attachment: Associated with negative outcomes, including emotional problems and behavioral issues.

Attachment Styles

1. Secure Attachment (most healthy attachment)

• Infant uses parent as a secure base to explore environment

Parent Departs: Infant protest mildly

Parent Returns: Infant stops whatever they are doing and re-establish positive interactions with parent (shows how infant prefers parent over stranger)

2. Insecure Avoidant Attachment.

• Infant who shows insecurity by avoiding the parent.

Parent Departs: Infant plays & interacts with stranger

Parent Returns: Infants do not re-establish contact with parent. Ignore or rejects parents

3. Insecure Resistant Attachment

• Infant who clings to parent, then resists by fighting against the closeness, by kicking or pushing away.

Parent Departs: Infant in distress (crying)

Parent Returns: Push parent away upon return. Angry with parent upon return

4. Insecure Disorganized Attachment

• Infant who’s hows insecurity by being disorganized & disorientated (WORST)

Entire Time: Cant cope with situation. Contradictory, repetitive, & misdirected behaviours. Confused and afraid.