Infant Language Development

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Three Theories of Language Development Behaviorist (B. F. Skinner) Learned through operant conditioning (reinforcement) and imitation Nativist (Noam Chomsky) Inborn language acquisition device (LAD) biologically prepares infants to learn rules of language. Interactionist Inner capacities and environment work together; social context is important.

Language Development How do infants display linguistic skills preverbally? crying--first means of communication – eventually differentiate cries (hunger, wet, etc) 1-2 mos: cooing: vowel sounds first few months, infants can tell phonemes (eg, "ba"/"pa“) apart Distinguish phonemes from any language (even if not their native language (until about mid year)

Recognizing Language Sounds 5 mos, use visual cues (bimodal—visual and auditory)

Recognizing Language Sounds 6 mos, babble sounds in all languages (even deaf children) – “ba-ba-ba” ; deaf children “babble” hand gestures – Hearing children later do duplicated babbling “ba-bee- boo” (intonation; pitch rises and falls)

Recognizing Language Sounds 7-9 months: Segment speech into words "Yourteddyislyingonthecouchsweetie.“ 9 mos, prefer listening to words stressed in certain ways (strong 1 st syllable—”happy”) 10 mos, can detect words that start with weak syllables (eg, “surprise”) End of first year: lose ability to differentiate and make sounds not in own language (babbling drift)

Gestures and First Words Preverbal Gestures (end of first year) Crude form of naming (“so big!” “up” “bye-bye”) Point (joint attention) communicate requests, social gestures, symbolize Parent feedback important for child to keep gesturing Gestures/word combos, then gestures recede

Gestures and First Words First Words --gradual and continuous process mos--first word; means something Holophrase--sounds function as words Understood best in context! Eg: "Da" could mean "I want that," "Where's daddy?“

Vocabulary Growth Comprehension typically ahead of production Quick comprehension frees space in working memory for picking up new words and for the more demanding task of using them to communicate. 15 mos--says 10 words/comprehends mos--says 50 words/comprehends mos--2 word sentences 200 word vocabulary

Sentences/Early Speech Two words--big step; express relation between things; not just naming Telegraphic--include only essential words "me up“; “Big gack” – "Daddy hat“ (possession) – “Book there” (location) – “more milk” (repetition) – “big car” (attribution) – “where ball?” (question) – “mama-walk” (agent-action) – “see doggie” (identification)

Sentences/Early Speech Grammar--complex speech at first, tense and case endings, articles, verbs missing mos--start to pick up syntax (use a, then, in, and, verb tenses) Underextension --using a concept/word too narrowly – 5 yo neighbor is “boy” but male infant is not Overextension -- use labels they know to name things they don't know name of – sheep is "doggie" Overregularizing Rules--add uniform endings to words w/o exceptions eg: 1 mouse, 2 "mouses“; “I goed potty”

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Broca’s and Wernicke’s Areas in the Left Hemisphere of the Cerebral Cortex Broca’s Area Supports grammatical processing and language production Wernicke’s Area Plays role in comprehending word meaning Figure 6.11

Individual and Cultural Differences in Language Development Gender Temperament Environment SES --reading exposure Child-directed speech --relates to ZPD © Gilbert Agao | Dreamstime.comGilbert AgaoDreamstime.com

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Individual and Cultural Differences in Language Development Language style –Referential (object naming) –Expressive (social routines) Language delays

Parent – Child Interaction: Impact on Language and Cognitive Development of Deaf Children  About 2 to 3 of every 1,000 infants in the United States are born deaf.  90% of deaf children have hearing parents who are not fluent in sign language.  Often delayed in development of language and make-believe play and have deficient social skills  Intervention within the first year of life can have a positive impact on language, cognitive, and social outcomes.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Best Ways to Support Early Language Development Infants  Respond to coos and babbles.  Establish and respond to joint attention.  Play social games. Toddlers  Play make-believe together.  Have frequent conversations.  Read to toddlers often and talk about the books.