56 Questions
What is the information-processing approach in cognitive psychology based on?
Insights associated with the digital computer
Who critiqued the behavioral account of language acquisition, leading to a significant change in dominant paradigms?
Noam Chomsky
What is the primary analogy made between computers and human minds in the text?
Hardware (brain), Software (mind)
What did Noam Chomsky posit regarding language acquisition?
The existence of an innate language acquisition mechanism
According to Piaget, what is a precursor to language?
Cognitive development
What did Vygotsky propose about cognition and language?
They have separate origins but become interdependent
What is the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis also known as?
Linguistic Relativity
What does Linguistic Relativism propose?
Languages encode the world in different ways, leading to differences in cognitive representations of concepts
What did Whorf suggest about the English and Hopi languages' treatment of time?
"English treats time as countable chunks, while Hopi thinks about it differently"
What was a criticism of Whorf's hypothesis?
"It was based on circular reasoning"
What did Karen Wynn's 'magic show' method demonstrate about infants?
Infants expect to see correct number of objects based on prior display
What did Goldin-Meadow & Mylander's study of deaf children of hearing parents reveal?
They invented some signs to convey their thoughts
What is the duration of short-term memory?
About 30 seconds
Which model illustrates early computer information processing methods?
Broadbent's filter model of attention
What does sensory memory store?
Modality-specific information
According to Karmiloff-Smith (2001), what does emergentism emphasize in language acquisition?
The dynamic interaction between nature and nurture
What occurs after the first words appear in language development?
"Vocabulary spurt" where children add new words rapidly
Who proposed the filter model of attention?
Donald Broadbent (1958)
What are the three stages of memory processes?
Encoding, consolidation, retrieval
What are the milestones in language acquisition described as?
From listening and producing sounds to dialogue and first words
What is the capacity of short-term memory?
5-9 items
What influences memory encoding and retrieval?
Primacy and recency biases
When does vocabulary spurt occur in language development?
After the first words appear
What is the term for the language input characterized by slow, high-pitched, repetitive, and short utterances?
Infant-directed speech
At what age does the transition from telegraphic to grammatical speech typically occur?
2;2 years old
What is a milestone in child language development during the first year?
Cooing and babbling
Which theory suggests that the onset of language is at age 2 and that language capacity declines after puberty?
Lenneberg's Critical Period theory
What does dichotic listening experiments demonstrate about information processing in the brain?
Information from the right ear reaches the left hemisphere faster than information from the left ear
What does neural plasticity allow for in terms of linguistic abilities?
Recovery of linguistic abilities in young children after brain damage
What approach was taken by cognitive psychologists to understand complex cognitive behaviors?
Information-processing approach
Who critiqued the behavioral account of language acquisition, heralding the end of behaviorism as the dominant paradigm?
Noam Chomsky
What did Noam Chomsky posit regarding the existence of an innate element in language acquisition?
Existence of an innate element
What analogy did Alan Turing draw between computers and human minds?
Hardware (brain), Software (mind)
What is the term for language input characterized by slow, high-pitched, repetitive, and short utterances?
Child Directed Speech (CDS)
At what age does the transition from telegraphic to grammatical speech typically occur?
2;2 years old
What does Lenneberg's Critical Period theory suggest about the onset of language and language capacity?
Onset of language is at age 2 and language capacity declines after puberty
What do dichotic listening experiments demonstrate about information processing in the brain?
Information from the right ear reaches the left hemisphere faster than information from the left ear
What did the cases of Isabella and Genie illustrate about language development?
Impact of language deprivation and potential for recovery through intensive training
What did Neural plasticity allow for in terms of linguistic abilities?
Recovery of linguistic abilities in young children after brain damage
What are the three stages of memory processes?
Encoding, consolidation, and retrieval
What is the primary analogy made between computers and human minds in the text?
Broadbent's filter model of attention illustrates early computer information processing methods
What did Karen Wynn's 'magic show' method demonstrate about infants?
Infants have a basic understanding of object permanence
What did Noam Chomsky posit regarding language acquisition?
'Universal Grammar' is innate to humans and facilitates language acquisition
What does neural plasticity allow for in terms of linguistic abilities?
The brain's ability to reorganize itself and form new neural connections for language learning
What is the term for the language input characterized by slow, high-pitched, repetitive, and short utterances?
Motherese or Parentese
What did Vygotsky propose about cognition and language?
Cognition precedes language development
What does Sensory memory store?
Raw sensory information
According to Vygotsky, what does the development of thought and speech involve?
A pre-intellectual stage and a pre-linguistic stage
What does the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis suggest?
The form of language determines how we think
What is the 'Strong Form' of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis also known as?
Linguistic Determinism
What did Lenneberg argue about Whorf's hypothesis?
It was a circular argument based on linguistic differences
What did Karen Wynn's 'magic show' method demonstrate about infants?
Infants expect to see the correct number of objects revealed after being displayed then covered
What did Goldin-Meadow & Mylander's study of deaf children of hearing parents reveal?
Deaf children invented some signs to convey their thoughts.
What did Boroditsky et al. (2011) study English v Mandarin speakers to measure?
How participants think about time without linguistic influence.
What did Carroll & Casagrande (1958) study English v Navaho speakers to investigate?
How different languages categorize objects based on shape and rigidity.
What is one criticism of Whorf's hypothesis?
He based his claims on translations without considering cultural context.
Study Notes
Language Development and Critical Periods
- Child Directed Speech (CDS), also known as 'Motherese', is characterized by slow, high-pitched, repetitive, and short utterances, and is most effective when the child leads the conversation.
- Language input from talkative mothers results in children having a larger vocabulary at 16 and 24 months compared to children of less talkative mothers.
- Telegraphic speech examples include questions, requests, descriptions of locations and actions, negations, and possessives.
- The transition from telegraphic to grammatical speech occurs around 2;2 years old.
- The study of child language development is important across disciplines, with milestones including cooing and babbling in the first year, and grammatical morphemes and complex sentences by 2-3 years old.
- Behavior and physiological approaches contribute to our understanding of cognition and working memory, with evidence for the existence of a visuospatial sketch pad.
- Lenneberg's Critical Period theory suggests that the onset of language is at age 2 and that language capacity declines after puberty.
- Dichotic listening experiments demonstrate that information from the right ear reaches the left hemisphere faster than information from the left ear, supporting the idea of lateralization.
- Neural plasticity allows for recovery of linguistic abilities in young children after brain damage, which is supported by evidence from recovery and language acquisition in adults.
- The cases of Isabella and Genie illustrate the impact of language deprivation and the potential for language recovery through intensive training.
- Isabella's language abilities improved rapidly after receiving language training, demonstrating the importance of early intervention in language development.
- Genie's language development, after being discovered at age 13 following severe abuse and neglect, showed limitations in grammar and syntax, contributing to the understanding of critical periods and language development.
Language Acquisition and Memory Processes
- Dichotic listening experiment by Colin Cherry (1953) demonstrated the ability of participants to focus on one message while ignoring others in a noisy environment.
- Broadbent's filter model of attention illustrates early computer information processing methods.
- Memory processes include encoding, consolidation, and retrieval.
- Memory structure consists of sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory.
- Sensory memory has a large capacity and stores modality-specific information.
- Short-term memory has a limited capacity of 5-9 items and a duration of about 30 seconds.
- Long-term memory has a relatively unlimited capacity and stores information permanently.
- Primacy and recency biases influence memory encoding and retrieval.
- Language acquisition is considered both simple and complex, involving nature and nurture.
- Emergentism, proposed by Karmiloff-Smith (2001), emphasizes the dynamic interaction between nature and nurture in language acquisition.
- Innate learning mechanisms and milestones in language acquisition are described, from listening and producing sounds to dialogue and first words.
- Vocabulary spurt occurs after the first words appear, with children adding new words at a rapid pace.
Test your knowledge about Child Directed Speech (CDS) also known as 'Motherese' in this quiz. Learn about the characteristics and effectiveness of CDS in language development.
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