CSDS Chapter 4 PART 1

Chapter Four: Cognitive, Perceptual, and Motor Bases of Speech Language

Introduction

• Objective: Understand the interrelation of cognition to language, sensory and perceptual development, speech production sources, newborn oral reflexes, babbling characteristics, cognitive symbolism, and the influence of attention and perception in learning.

Cognition and Language

• ": As cognition goes, so goes language." - Cognitive and language development are intertwined, progressing simultaneously.

• Cognitive development impacts a child's ability to use symbols and language effectively.

Brain Development

• Begins around the 18th day of conception and continues for years.

• Slow maturation process, with the brain reaching its mature weight by age 12, but not fully mature.

• Neurons undergo myelination (protective sheath coating) and synaptic agenesis (cell communication).

• Environmental influences can negatively impact brain development, particularly during prenatal stages.

• After birth, rapid development occurs in the cerebellum and occipital lobe (vision-related).

• Speech and language neural areas mature by late preschool, but higher-level linguistic functions may not mature until adulthood.

• Lateralization (language centers in one hemisphere, typically left) is still a debated topic regarding its onset.

Motor Control Development

• Increases in motor control and frontal lobe activity around two months; reflexes observed at birth begin to disappear.

• Significant cognitive development occurs between six months to a year, including memory and word associations.

• During the second six months, the child approaches their first words; this period is crucial for language acquisition.

Areas of Development

1. Sensation

   • Touch is the first sense to develop in utero; follows by hearing.

   • Newborns have fully functional senses but struggle with attention.

   • Habituation occurs as infants become accustomed to stimuli, allowing focus on new stimuli.

2. Perception

   • Defined as making sense of incoming information through sensory input and prior knowledge.

   • Auditory perception is essential for language understanding; infants need exposure to speech to develop auditory skills.

   • By two months, infants can discriminate sounds, and by seven months, they differentiate words.

   • Facial recognition begins early; infants respond positively to familiar faces.

   • Recognition and memory improve with experience, leading to positive reactions.

3. Motor Control

   • Muscle movement linked to sensory feedback, beginning before birth.

   • Neonates exhibit reflexive movements (e.g., palmar grasp, rooting, Moro reflex) critical for survival.

   • Voluntary motor control develops throughout the year, with reflexes fading away.

   • The sucking mechanism develops by six months post-conception; proper function is crucial for feeding.

Vocalizations and Babbling

• Early vocalizations controlled by the brain stem; begin with reflexive sounds and QRNs (quasi-resonant nuclei).

• Babbling (consonant-vowel combinations) occurs around five months and is key for sound experimentation.

  • Types of babbling:

    • Reduplicated babbling: Repetition of sounds (e.g., "ba ba ba").

    • Variegated babbling: Introduction of variation across sounds.

    • Jargon: Unintelligible sounds with adult-like intonation emerges around nine months.

• "Picks" or phonetically consistent forms emerge by eleven months, linking babbling to adult-like speech.

• CV- Consonent Vowel

• VCV- Vowel Consonent Vowel

Conclusion

• Importance of these developmental stages in fostering effective speech and language capabilities.

• Continuing development will be discussed in the next class session.

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More detailed below

Chapter Four: Cognitive, Perceptual, and Motor Bases of Speech Language

Introduction

• Objective: To gain a comprehensive understanding of the intricate interrelation between cognition and language, the critical stages of sensory and perceptual development, the complex processes behind speech production, and the foundational role of newborn oral reflexes, babbling characteristics, cognitive symbolism, and the significant influence of attention and perception in the learning process.

Cognition and Language

• The adage, "As cognition goes, so goes language," encapsulates the profound connection between cognitive and language development, indicating that both progress hand-in-hand through critical developmental milestones.

• Cognitive Development: This vital domain heavily influences a child's ability to effectively utilize symbols and language, with early cognitive skills serving as a foundation for language acquisition and expression.

Brain Development

• Timeline: The development of the brain begins around the 18th day of conception and continues to mature over a period spanning several years, with significant growth occurring after birth.

• Maturation Process: While the brain reaches approximately 90% of its mature weight by age 12, it is critical to note that it does not fully mature until later in adolescence, impacting the development of complex cognitive and language functions.

• Neural Changes: During brain development, neurons undergo significant processes such as myelination, which provides a protective sheath around nerve fibers, facilitating faster and more efficient communication between neurons, and synaptic agenesis, where unused connections are pruned, enhancing neural efficiency.

• Environmental Influences: Factors such as prenatal exposure to toxins, maternal nutrition, and stress can negatively impact brain development, with long-lasting implications for cognitive and linguistic abilities.

• Postnatal Development: Rapid development is particularly pronounced in the cerebellum and occipital lobe, areas critical for motor control and sensory processing. The neural areas implicated in speech and language maturation typically reach functional maturity by late preschool age; however, the attainment of higher-level linguistic functions may extend into adulthood.

• Lateralization: The ongoing debate about the lateralization of language functions—predominantly localized in the left hemisphere of the brain—raises questions about the timing and extent of this process during early childhood.

Motor Control Development

• Initial Developments: Increases in motor control, alongside heightened frontal lobe activity, are observable around two months of age as primitive reflexes present at birth begin to diminish.

• Cognitive Milestones: A period of significant cognitive development transpires between six months to one year, characterized by substantial advancements in memory, attention, and the formation of word associations.

• Language Acquisition: The second six months mark a pivotal period in language acquisition as children edge closer to uttering their first words. This time frame is crucial for the emergence of language skills and the enhancement of communicative interactions.

Areas of Development

Sensation

• Development of Senses: Touch, recognized as the first sense to develop in utero, is promptly followed by the maturation of hearing. These sensory capabilities form the bedrock for later cognitive and language development.

• Functional Sensory Capacities: Newborns possess fully functional senses, although they often encounter challenges with sustaining attention, necessitating further engagement and stimulation from caregivers.

• Habituation: This process occurs as infants adapt to familiar stimuli over time, allowing them to focus their attention on new and novel experiences that are crucial for cognitive growth.

Perception

• Understanding Perception: Perception can be defined as the cognitive process through which individuals interpret and make sense of incoming sensory information, integrating sensory inputs with prior knowledge and experiences.

• Auditory Perception: This aspect is critical for successful language acquisition; infants require significant exposure to speech sounds to develop the requisite auditory skills essential for language comprehension. Infants begin to show differentiation in sound discrimination as early as two months, while by seven months, they can distinguish between words.

• Facial Recognition: The ability to recognize faces is observed early in life; infants typically exhibit positive reactions to familiar faces, which supports emotional bonding and social development. Experience contributes to improved recognition and memory functions.

• Phonotactic probability refers to the likelihood of a phoneme or sequence of phonemes occurring within a specific language. It helps explain how the arrangement of sounds influences language acquisition and phonological processing. In general, children tend to favor phonemes and sequences that are more common in their native language, impacting their ability to learn words and develop speech skills.

Motor Control

• Link Between Movement and Sensory Feedback: Muscle movements are closely tied to sensory feedback mechanisms, initiating before birth through reflexive actions.

• Reflexive Movements: Neomates typically demonstrate reflexive movements, such as the palmar grasp, rooting reflex, and Moro reflex, all of which are crucial for survival and feeding in the early days of life.

• Voluntary Control Development: Throughout the first year, voluntary motor control progressively develops, and the initial reflexive movements gradually diminish.

• Feeding Mechanisms: The sucking mechanism, which is critical for feeding, becomes fully functional by six months post-conception, marking an important developmental milestone for ensuring proper nutrition.

Vocalizations and Babbling

• Early Vocalization Phases: Initial vocalizations are modulated by the brain stem, beginning with reflexive sounds and quasi-resonant nuclei (QRNs) that lay the groundwork for more complex vocalization patterns.

• Babbling Development: Around five months of age, children enter the babbling stage, producing consonant-vowel combinations that are vital for sound experimentation and language development.

• Types of Babbling:

  • Reduplicated Babbling: Involves repeating sounds (e.g., "ba ba ba").

  • Variegated Babbling: Introduces variation in sounds to the combinations produced.

  • Jargon: Unintelligible vocalizations that mimic adult-like intonation, emerging around nine months of age.

• Phonetically Consistent Forms: By eleven months, infants begin to produce forms that are phonetically consistent with adult speech, establishing an important connection toward developing functional communication.

Conclusion

• Recognizing the significance of these foundational developmental stages is crucial for fostering effective speech and language capabilities. The interplay between cognitive, sensory, and motor systems forms the basis for robust language development. Future discussions will expand on continuing developmental trajectories and their implications for learning and communication in subsequent class sessions.

Positives and Nasals in Speech Production

Positives: In phonetics, positives refer to voicing and articulation properties when producing sounds. They are sounds that are produced with an open vocal tract, and they typically involve the vocal cords vibrating, creating a clear sound. Positives can include a variety of consonants and vowels.

Nasals: Nasal sounds are produced when the airflow is directed through the nasal cavity due to the lowering of the velum (the soft part of the roof of the mouth). Common nasal phonemes include:

• /m/: as in "man"

• /n/: as in "no"

• /ŋ/: as in "sing".

Characteristics of Nasals:

1. Place of Articulation: Nasals can vary in where they are produced in the mouth (e.g., bilabial for /m/, alveolar for /n/, velar for /ŋ/).

2. Sonic Quality: Nasals have a unique resonance and sound quality due to the airflow through the nasal cavity.

3. Function in Speech: Nasal sounds are integral in various languages and can change the meaning of words depending on their use in phonetic context, impacting both speech recognition and language comprehension.