Language. 2 Language Development At birth—infants can distinguish all contrasting sounds in human...
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Transcript of Language. 2 Language Development At birth—infants can distinguish all contrasting sounds in human...
Language
2
Language Development
• At birth—infants can distinguish all contrasting sounds in human language
• 6 months—can only distinguish those sounds in language being spoken around them
• 4-6 months—begin to babble speech sounds
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Language Milestones
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Theories of Language Development
• Behaviorist explanations– learn to talk through reinforcement, shaping,
and extinction– limits:
(1) parents don’t spend much time teaching grammar,
(2) children generate more grammatical sentences than they hear,
(3) errors children make do not duplicate what they hear
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7.1 Theories of Language Development
• Nativist explanations– language acquisition device
(LAD)– “wired” to learn grammar
“Talkin’ babies” – Sci Amer, segment 18 (nature-nurture influences in language acquisition; babbling)
“Born to talk” – Sci Amer, segment 2
(Grammar acquisition as a function of brain/environment interaction)
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Theories of Language Development
• Interactionist explanations–how does innate, biological capacity for
language combine with environmental experience?
• parents tailor verbal interactions with children in ways that simplify language acquisition
• deaf children NOT taught sign language often develop own system of hand signals
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Genes design the mechanisms for a language, and experience activates them as it modifies the brain
Genes
Environment --spoken language
heard
Brain --Mechanisms for
understanding andproducing language
Behavior – Mastery of native
language
provides input to
design
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Theories of Language Development
• Neurological specialization
– Broca’s area (involved in language production)
– Wernicke’s area (involved in language comprehension)
“Language centers in the brain” – Psych DVD Segment 16
(A look at brain surgery that tries to spare language)
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Animal language• Can other species learn human language?• Washoe taught sign language
– learned 160 words; could construct simple sentences
• Primates can learn signs for concepts they understand (not abstract)
• Current language research (Great Ape Trust) – video– http://www.greatapetrust.org/