Problem 6 - DONE Flashcards

language development

1
Q

requirements for language

A
comprehension = understanding what others say
production = actually speaking
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2
Q

components of language

combinatorial process

A

combinatorial process = different pieces combined at different levels to form a hierarchy

  • sounds are combined to form words, words are combined to form sentences, sentences are combined to form stories/conversations
  • benefit:
  • -> generativity = idea that through the use of the finite set of words and morphemes in humans’ vocabulary, we can put together an infinite number of sentences
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3
Q

components of language

difficulty understanding a language

A

(1) difficulty perceiving phonemes:
- phonemes = elementary units of meaningful sound used to produce languages
(2) difficulty understanding morphemes:
- morphemes = smallest units of meaning in a language, composed of one or more phonemes
(3) difficulty understanding sentences:
- syntax = rules in a language that specify how words from different categories (nouns, verbs, adjectives) can be combined
(4) missing knowledge of cultural rules/contextual variations

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4
Q

components of language

steps in children’s language learning

A

(1) phonological development = acquisition of knowledge about the sound system of a language
(2) semantic development = learning of the system for expressing meaning in a language, including word learning
(3) syntactic development = learning of the syntax of a language; learning how words and morphemes are combined
(4) pragmatic development = acquisition of knowledge about how language is used; how language is typically used
{(5) metalinguistic knowledge/development = understanding of properties and function of language; understanding of language as language}

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5
Q

what is required for language?

A
  • human brain

- human environment

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6
Q

human brain

A
  • left hemisphere specialisation
  • -> primarily represents and controls language
  • critical-period hypothesis: time during which language develops readily and after which language acquisition is much more difficult
  • -> between 5 and puberty
  • -> less is more hypothesis: perceptual + memory limitations –> store smaller chunks of language –> facilitate language learning
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7
Q

human environment

A
  • daily routines: fine-tune through experience
  • infant-directed speech (IDS) = distinctive mode of speech that adults adopt when talking to babies
  • -> not universal
  • -> aids language development
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8
Q

human environment

characteristics of IDS

A
  • emotional tone: suffused with affection
  • exaggeration of speech and facial expressions
  • use of pitch patterns
  • -> draws attention to speech itself
  • -> learn/recognise words better when words are presented in IDS
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9
Q

process of language acquisition

A
  • speech perception (1)
  • -> categorical perception
  • -> word segmentation
  • -> become native listener (2)
  • speech preparation
  • -> early speech production (babbling)
  • -> early word recognition (4)
  • -> word learning
  • form sentences (3)
  • -> two-word period
  • -> syntax + grammar
  • conversational skills (5)
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10
Q

speech perception

categorical perception

A
  • categorical perception = perception of speech sounds belonging to discrete categories
  • -> innate, experience-dependent
  • -> voice-onset time (VOT)
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11
Q

speech perception

word segmentation

A

= discovering where words begin/end in fluent speech

–> distributional properties = in any language, certain sounds are more likely to appear together

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12
Q

speech perception

becoming native listener

A
  • become native listener (by 12 months lost ability to perceive speech sounds that are not part of native language)
  • -> perceptual narrowing
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13
Q

early speech production

A
  • reflexive vocalisations
  • cooing and laughing
  • babbling and vocal play
  • -> babbling = repetitive consonant-vowel sequence; limited
  • canonical babbling –> sound like words
  • modulated babbling –> use stress + intonation patterns
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14
Q

syntactic development

A
  • one-word period
  • two-word period
  • -> word learning
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15
Q

one-word period

A

= holophrastic period

  • productive vocabulary
  • simplification strategies –> leave out difficult bits
  • overextension = daddy for any man
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16
Q

two-word period

A

= telegraphic speech

  • first sentences
  • over regularisation errors = treat irregular forms of words as if they were regular
17
Q

word learning

A
  • adult’s contribution
  • -> IDS, highlighting words, repetition of words, naming games
  • children’s contribution:
  • -> whole-object assumption
  • -> fast mapping = learning a new word from hearing familiar and unfamiliar word
  • -> use pragmatic cues (social contexts)
  • -> cross-situational learning
  • -> syntactic bootstrapping = using grammatical structures to figure out meaning
18
Q

conversational skills

A
  • first: private speech
  • with peers: collective monologues
  • capacity of sustained conversation gradually increases
  • preschool: produce narratives; reflecting upon language
  • -> appreciation of multiple meanings
19
Q

basic components of language

lecture

A
  • phonology = sounds of language
  • semantics = meaning of words and sentences
  • syntax = grammatical rules that dictate how words can be combined
  • pragmatics = rules for using language effectively within a social context
20
Q

theories of language development - behaviourist perspective

lecture

A

= ‘nurture’
- operant conditioning (skinner)
–> parents selectively reinforce sounds that are most like words
–> gradual shaping: successive approximations
- imitation = imitate sounds around them
- passive role of child
but:
– parents do not only reinforce correct speech —> also learn incorrect
– similar sequences of development in different cultures cannot be explained by input-driven theory

21
Q

theories of language development - nativist perspective

lecture

A

= ‘nature’
- language acquisition device (chomsky)
–> innate system, specific to human brain: device in brain (contains universal rules of grammar)
- active role of child
but:
– no evidence for universal rules of grammar
– acquisition of grammar is continuous + gradual
– pragmatics and cognitive skills not present

22
Q

theories of language development - developmental cognitive neuroscience

lecture

A
  • compromise
  • interaction between:
    genes —> experience/learning —> cognitive social skills
  • bootstrapping = using existing knowledge to facilitate the acquisition of new abilities
23
Q

how to measure language development?

lecture

A
  • measuring behavioural responses
    –> listening preference: looking time
    –> preferential looking: head-turning
    –> non-nutritive pacifier response
    –> direct testing of e.g. word knowledge
  • measuring brain activity
    –> EEG
    fMRI
24
Q

development of speech perception - initial perceptual biases

lecture

A
  • prenatal development:
  • -> mother’s voice
  • -> remember story reading
  • -> newborn’s cry melody is shaped by native language
  • categorical perception:
    initial perceptual biases
  • 0-6 months: discriminate phonemes of all languages
  • 0-4 months: show categorical perception
    –> innate speech module
    capacities reflect general auditory brain
    –> categorical perception not specific to humans + not specific to speech
25
Q

development of speech perception - perceptual changes due to experience

lecture

A
  • acquisition of native phonemes:
  • 0-6 months: discrimination of native and non-native phonemes
  • 6-12 months: selective perception of native phonemes
  • -> variability problem
  • recognition relevant speech units
  • segmentation problem
  • -> segmentation cues
  • 7 months: successful segmentation of words from fluent speech
  • 24 months: adult-level speed and accuracy
26
Q

development of speech perception - word learning

lecture

A
  • word learning speech perception
  • bootstrapping = using existing knowledge to facilitate the acquisition of new abilities
  • word growth not continuous
  • -> vocabulary spurt
27
Q

segmentation cues

lecture

A
  1. prosody, intonation:
    - newborns
  2. stress pattern of words:
    - around 6-9 months of age: sensitive to predominant stress-pattern of words
  3. statistical regularities of syllable co-occurrence:
    - 7-8 months
  4. phonotactic constraints:
    - 9 months: preference for possible sound combinations
  5. allophonic cues: auditory variants of same phonemes
    - 10.5 months: sensitivity
  6. association with meaning:
    - continues at 24 months