Biological Bases of Language Development
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Questions and Answers

What do right-hemisphere lesion patients sometimes have difficulty with?

  • Producing abnormal intonation contour
  • Recognizing emotional tone of an utterance
  • Understanding jokes and sarcasm
  • All of the above (correct)

    • What percentage of the population is left-hemisphere dominant for language?

  • 80-98% (correct)
  • 90-95%
  • 95-100%
  • 80-90%

    • What do left-handed people and women tend to show in their language processing?

  • More right-hemisphere dominance
  • More left-hemisphere dominance
  • No difference in processing
  • More bilateral processing (correct)

    • What does the equipotentiality hypothesis suggest?

    <p>Specialization occurs as a function of experience</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the invariance hypothesis predict about children's language processing?

    <p>Children's language processing looks similar to adults</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does research support regarding language development?

    <p>The invariance hypothesis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did dichotic listening on young children show?

    <p>A right-ear advantage for verbal stimuli</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did electrophysiology studies of the brain show in response to speech sounds?

    <p>Greater left-hemisphere activity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic of human species that is unique to them?

    <p>Capacity to acquire language</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens when humans have no language in common?

    <p>They use a pidgin to communicate</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is true about human language acquisition?

    <p>Humans have a natural ability to acquire language</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the communication system created when people have no language in common?

    <p>Pidgin</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a pidgin language?

    <p>Hawaiian Pidgin English</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What drives humans to create language?

    <p>The desire to communicate</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the role of language in human society?

    <p>It is a means of communication</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic of pidgins?

    <p>They have limited linguistic structure</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a significant factor influencing the language outcomes of foreign-born adopted children?

    <p>The age at which they were adopted</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the period during which children are more likely to acquire language naturally and effortlessly?

    <p>Sensitive Period</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the finding regarding the language abilities of deaf children who are exposed to sign language from infancy?

    <p>They are more proficient than deaf children exposed to sign language later in childhood</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the correlation between the age of exposure to a second language and the likelihood of native-like proficiency in that language?

    <p>The younger the immigrant, the more native-like their proficiency</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main finding regarding the language acquisition rates of mono-zygotic (identical) and di-zygotic (fraternal) twins?

    <p>Mono-zygotic twins show more similar rates of language development than di-zygotic twins</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the genetic component of language impairment, according to twin and adoption studies?

    <p>Strong genetic component, seen in both children and adults</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the role of the FOXP2 gene in language development?

    <p>It is one of several genes that enable language acquisition</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the implication of the Critical Period Hypothesis for language acquisition in adults?

    <p>Adults have a harder time acquiring language than children</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Language as a Human Universal

    • Language is a characteristic of the human species, and all human children have the capacity to acquire language.
    • Language is a universal aspect of human nature, and humans create language even when there is no model to learn from.

    Language Creation

    • Pidgins are communication systems created when people have no language in common.
    • Pidgins have limited linguistic structure and use lexical items from one or more contact languages.
    • Example: Hawaiian Pidgin English was created by immigrant workers who shared no language with each other or with their English-speaking employers.

    The Human Brain and Language

    • The right hemisphere of the brain may be involved in the pragmatic aspects of language use.
    • Right-hemisphere lesion patients may have difficulty understanding jokes, sarcasm, and figurative language.
    • Individual and sex-related differences exist in brain organization for language processing.

    Brain Development and Language Development

    • Two competing views on the development of left-hemisphere specialization for language:
      • Equipotentiality hypothesis: both hemispheres have the potential to host language ability, and specialization occurs through experience.
      • Invariance hypothesis: the left hemisphere is specified to host language from birth and maturation has no effect on specialization.
    • Research supports the invariance hypothesis, with evidence from dichotic listening and electrophysiology studies.

    The Critical Period Hypothesis

    • Evidence supports the critical period hypothesis, including:
      • Late acquisition of sign language: deaf children exposed to sign language from infancy are more proficient than those exposed later in childhood.
      • Second language acquisition: younger immigrants to the USA tend to sound and perform more like native speakers.

    The Genetic Basis of Language Development

    • The heritability of individual differences in language acquisition rates is strong, with monozygotic twins showing more similar rates than dizygotic twins.
    • The genetics of language impairment:
      • Language impairment has a strong genetic component, with twin and adoption studies supporting this.
      • The FOXP2 gene is critical for typical language development, but is not the sole gene responsible for language or speech.

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    Description

    This quiz covers the biological aspects of language development, including the human vocal tract, brain, and genetic basis of language development.

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