Chapter 6: Language Learning & Teaching Processes - Young Children

Question 1

Understanding the Role of Context

Answer 1

• Language comprehension refers to an individual’s ability to understand the linguistic information contained in a message that is almost augmented by the message’s specific nonlinguistic context
• what is going on?
• who is speaking?
• what visual information is available

Question 2

Fast Mapping

Answer 2

• Children rely heavily on context to infer a new word’s meaning to then use it spontaneously
• Children who are successful “fast mappers” have an advantage in vocabulary learning

Question 3

What happens when a toddler is exposed to a new word for the first time?

Answer 3

1. The child hears the word
   (Auditory Cue)
2. The child’s phonological memory about the sounds and syllables of the word is activated
   (Phonological Representation)
3. Activation from the phonological level is spread to the word meaning level
   (Semantic Level)

Question 4

Comprehension & Production: Single Words

Answer 4

• Up through age 2, comprehension is highly context-dependent
• The mother monitors the child’s input to check the accuracy of fit and provide feedback
• The child’s comprehension and production are fine-tuned at the same time
• Within the first 50 words, comprehension seems to precede production
• Toddlers rely on basic semantic relations, use of objects, and routines for comprehension

Question 5

Strategies for Comprehension: Verbs

Answer 5

Strategy 1: Do what you usually do
* Regardless of what the caregiver says the young child will think of the item’s possible function and does an action at random

Question 6

Strategies for Comprehension: Verbs

Answer 6

Strategy 2: Act on the object in the way mentioned
* Child notes the action word and does the action

Question 7

Strategies for Comprehension: Verbs

Answer 7

• Move from general verbs to more specific verbs
• Things I do —> Play, eat, drink etc

Question 8

Why do parents use child directed speech?

Answer 8

• Shorter sentences and emphasis on important words
• Simplified language facilitates fast mapping
• Limited working memory and attention may be an advantage for learning language at the beginning

Question 9

Toddler Language Learning Strategies

Answer 9

• A child must sort out relevant and irrelevant information in adult and sibling conversations
• A child must decide which utterances are good examples of the language for accomplishing communication goals and must hypothesize about underlying meanings and structures

Question 10

Toddler Strategies for Comprehension: Reference

Answer 10

• Reference: words stand for entities to which they refer
  (e.g., cat and dog are two different entities)

Question 11

Toddler Strategies for Comprehension: Extendibility

Answer 11

• Extendibility: one symbol can stand for more than one referent
  (e.g., my pet cat Luna and all other cats are “cat”)

Question 12

Toddler Strategies for Comprehension: Whole Object

Answer 12

• Whole-object: assumes that a label refers to a whole entity
  (e.g., rather than a part or an attribute, it is the whole object, table and not leg)

Question 13

Toddler Strategies for Comprehension: Categorical Assumption

Answer 13

• A label can be extended to related entities
  (e.g., cup can be used to label all things you can pour liquid in)

Question 14

Toddler Strategies for Comprehension: Novel Name - Nameless Assumption

Answer 14

• Children assume that novel symbols are linked to previously unnamed referents

Question 15

Toddler Strategies for Comprehension: Conventionality Assumption

Answer 15

• Children expect meanings to be expressed in a consistent and conventional way
  (e.g., a car is always going to called a car)

Question 16

Toddler Strategies for Expressive Language

Answer 16

• Use of evocative utterances
• children name objects that provoke positive emotions and interest to them

Question 17

Toddler Strategies for Expressive Language

Answer 17

• Hypothesis testing and interrogative utterances
• more direct methods of acquiring linguistic knowledge
• Labeling something and seeking feedback (doggy?)
• asking questions (what’s that?)

Question 18

Toddler Strategies for Expressive Language

Answer 18

• Selective Imitation
• imitation is a whole or partial repetition of an utterance of another speaker
• imitation does not occur with every word or expression

Question 19

Role of Selective Imitation

Answer 19

• Selective implies that the child decides what to imitate
• At the single-word level, selective imitation is important for vocabulary growth
• Imitation is less useful for language learning as a language becomes more complex

Question 20

Bootstrapping (Preschooler)

Answer 20

• Children use what they know about language to help them decipher what they don’t know

Question 21

Semantic Bootstrapping

Answer 21

• When children use semantics to decode syntax
• Given what we know about semantic we can infer two syntactic structures

Question 22

Syntactic Bootstrapping

Answer 22

• When children use syntax and context to figure out word meanings

Question 23

Preschooler Strategies for Comprehension: Intention Reading

Answer 23

• A social cognitive skill for understanding language behavior of others
• The child attempts to comprehend the intention of an utterance

Question 24

Preschooler Strategies for Comprehension: Pattern Finding

Answer 24

• Enables us to find common threads in disparate information

Question 25

Self Talk

Answer 25

* Copying what the child is doing and describing what you are doing

Question 26

Parallel Talk

Answer 26

* Narrating what they child is doing

Question 27

Imitation

Answer 27

* Copying what the child is saying - If the child imitates your imitation, say something else

Question 28

Expansion

Answer 28

* Adding to what the child is saying by making the phrase more grammatically complex * Take what the child says and add grammatical markers and semantic detail that would make it an acceptable adult utterance Example: Child: Red Clinician: Yes, the block is red

Question 29

Extension

Answer 29

* Adding to what the child is saying by making a comment * Adding a comment that adds semantic information to a remark made by the child * A child who produces some language but needs help saying longer sentences can benefit from extension Example: Child: Red Clinician: Yes, we have many different colors

Question 30

Build Up and Breakdown

Answer 30

2 Steps Step 1: Expand on what the child is saying (child's utterance) Step 2: Break down the sentence into smaller parts (breakdown the utterance into a series of sequential utterances) Example: Child: Red Clinician: Here you have the red block. The block is red. Red block.

Question 31

Adult Conversations with Preschoolers

Answer 31

* Mothers provide opportunities for their children to make verbal contributions, show their children when to speak and develop cohesiveness between the speaker and listener * Mothers ask children to comment on objects and events within their experience

Question 32

Turnabout

Answer 32

* A response to the previous utterance with a response required

Question 33

Importance of Play

Answer 33

Play is ideal for language acquisition because: * Play is fun * Topics are shared * Games have structure * Play has variations in the order of elements like grammar does * Games contain turn-taking * Play and language develop interdependently and demonstrate underlying cognitive developments

Question 34

Development of Play and Language

Answer 34

* Unoccupied Play * Parallel Play * Associative Play * Cooperative Play

Question 35

Unoccupied Play

Answer 35

* Newborns (0-3 months) move their arms and legs to explore * They look at objects placed at close proximity * Prefer black and white images

Question 36

Solitary Play

Answer 36

(0-2 years) * Development of sensorimotor and visual cortex areas of the brain is reflected in play * Through sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, babies learn about the world - Hence, putting everything in their mouths

Question 37

Parallel Play (2+ years)

Answer 37

* Refers to interactions in which toddlers may enjoy playing near other children but may not interact

Question 38

Onlooker Play (2 years)

Answer 38

* The infant looks at other children playing but does not engage yet

Question 39

Associative Play (3-4 years)

Answer 39

* Play/interaction with others and imagination increases * At first, a child's play role represents himself or herself; later roles are projects on other persons and dolls * Unstructured toys such as play phones, kitchen sets, tools, medical kits, and dress-up clothes are favorites and encourage imaginative dramatic play

Question 40

Cooperative Play (4+ years)

Answer 40

* Increased role play * Initially, preschoolers prefer functionally explicit props, such as a phone, car or cup * As children mature and participate in more frequent imaginative play, they use more ambiguous props, such as blocks or stones, that can represent other entities