SPLH 566 Midterm Exam Questions With Correct Answers

Define language, describe the 5 components of language, and explain its relation to communication and speech. - Answer Language- shared code or system for representing concepts through use of symbols and rules that govern how they're combined/ words and how they're combined Speech- producing sounds/ articulation Communication- sending a message from one person to another 5 components of language: · Semantics o Meaning/content · Syntax o Rules for combining words · Morphology o Word beginning and endings/ internal structure of words · Phonology o Sound unit and sequences · Pragmatics o Social use of language What is a dialect? What is a dialect not? What factors influence dialect? - Answer Dialect- a language rule system used by an identifiable group of people that varies in some way from an ideal language standard · An accent is NOT a dialect · Factors that influence dialect: o Geography o Socioeconomic status o Race and ethnicity o Situation/context o Peer group influences o 1st or 2nd language learning Describe 3 key differences between the (a) generativist / nativist approach and (b) interactionalist approach (includes constructivist and emergentist approaches). Be sure to include information about each approach for each difference for a complete response. - Answer Generative/ Nativist Approach · children are born with innate rules of the structure of human languages · these innate linguistic rules enable children to learn language, even though they hear language with errors and incomplete information · Major focus: language structure · Cognitive contribution: specific neural structures dedicated to language · Language learning: learns language structure by learning specific language rules · Origins of language: innate; universal rules across languages · Role of environment: uses language input to deduce rules Interactionalist Approach · Children learn language from their environment · Relies on general neural processes, not the specific LAD · Highlights interaction between child and adult with child being the active player Constructionalist Approach · Major focus: language use · Cognitive contribution: from complex brains and the need to transmit messages in social interactions · Language learning: uses forms that best accomplish go 1. Describe how the three learning theories define knowledge, explain how children learn, and to what they attribute motivation for learning. Be prepared to define key terms related to each. - Answer Learning Theories Behavioral Learning Theory · Learning through associations between stimuli and responses · Antecedentbehaviorconsequence · Parent sayschild imitatesparent reinforces-child is more likely to use the word/phrase again · Knowledge: behavioral responses to environmental stimuli · Learning: passive; repetition and reinforcement · Motivation: extrinsic Cognitivist Learning Theory · Learning is active and occurs via processing information · Internal processes govern cognitive processing · Changes (learning) occur because of interactions between old and new information · Knowledge: built on existing cognitive structures · Learning: active, uses existing cognitive structures · Motivation: intrinsic Social Constructivist Learning Theory · Knowledge is constructed through social interactions and reflection on those interactions · zone of proximal development · Knowledge: from social interactions · Learning: assimilation and accommodations through social interacti 1. Explain the visual and auditory abilities of infants they relate communication development. - Answer Auditory Abilities of Infants · Prenatal o 8 weeks: startle to sounds o 20 weeks: middle and inner ears are adult size o 25-27 weeks: responds to sound by moving/ heart rate · Newborn: o Orient toward auditory stimuli o Fluid in middle ears o Otoacoustic emissions present and used to screen for hearing ability · Infant o Conditioned head-turn at 3-5 months o Frequency discrimination matures considerably from 3 to 6 months of age o Adult-like frequency discrimination at 6 to 12 months o Intensity discrimination: 5 to 7 month-old infants require 6dB change vs 1 dB for adults Visual Abilities of Infants · Newborn: o Focus on stimuli 8-10 inches from face o See bright colors · 8 weeks: focus on face · 3-4 months: color discrimination · 4 months: binocular vision and depth perception develop Multisensory integration- visual input can influence auditory perception (McGurk effect) and vice versa 1. Describe how cognitive development supports language development. - Answer · Cognitive ability plays a big role in the emergence of language- bases for language o Attention: shifting focus from one thing to another/ selective attention to important stimuli o Processing speed: as working memory is expanding the children are able to hold on to more input and segment it (increased working memorycan recall longer utterances) o Memory: recognition and recall o Representational competence: anticipate future events, object permanence, symbolic play o Reversibility: trace a process backwards o Event-based knowledge: helps child build scripts and interpret events influences vocabulary acquisition o Taxonomic knowledge: categories and classes of words o Speech perception- children can perceive speech sound differences before they produce them (gestures)