Wize University Psychology Textbook > Language & Thought
Language Development & Milestones
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Language Development
Biological Preparedness
At birth, we can discriminate between all of the phonemes used in any human language. Around 6-12 months we lose this ability and can only discriminate between phonemes used in languages we're exposed to.
Language Acquisition Device (LAD) - proposed by Noam Chomsky, the idea that we are born with a biological mechanism that contains the universal grammar that is common to all languages
Social Learning
Child-directed speech - parents and caregivers use high-pitched speech and intonation patterns to capture children's attention
Skinner thought all language could be learned through operant conditioning, but studies show this isn't true
- Children produce novel phrases/sentences
- Parents do not correct children's grammar
Language Acquisition Support System - social environment factors that support acquisition of language
Developmental Timeline and Milestones
Sensitive period - period from infancy to puberty where we are most responsive to language input from our environments
Telegraphic speech - feature of early language development where children construct simple phrases ("want milk") that leave out unnecessary words ("I want milk, please")
Practice: Language Development
Yvette has just started babbling and responds differently to her parents speaking versus humming. She is likely how old?