Language Acquisition Theories and Concepts

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Questions and Answers

What term describes the process of narrowing hypothesis space with each experience in word learning?

Propose but verify (correct)

Cross-situational learning

Contextual understanding

Joint verification

Which of the following is NOT a demonstrated outcome of joint attention in language acquisition?

Decreased pointing in infants

Increased interaction with caregivers

Independence in object labeling (correct)

Enhanced understanding of word meanings

What does bootstrapping in language acquisition refer to?

Reinforcement through repeated exposure

Linking actions to specific words

Generalization across different contexts

Using linguistic context to derive meaning (correct)

How does the concept of cross-situational word learning function?

It enables generalization across various experiences with a word. Signup and view all the answers

Which event typically leads to an increase in infant pointing behavior?

Caregivers responding with factual information Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of prosodic breaks in language processing?

They mark a word boundary. Signup and view all the answers

At what age do infants begin using stress patterns for word segmentation?

7 months Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements accurately describes phonotactic constraints?

They relate to the combination of sounds in a language. Signup and view all the answers

What is 'prosodic bootstrapping' in language acquisition?

A hypothesis that infants use prosodic cues to learn syntax and grammar. Signup and view all the answers

Which prosodic feature is NOT typically associated with indicating the end of a syntactic unit?

Consistent rhythm throughout the unit Signup and view all the answers

What do Poverty of the Stimulus arguments suggest about language acquisition?

Certain language aspects may be innate rather than learned. Signup and view all the answers

What role does pointing have according to Kovács et al (2014)?

It helps infants request information about objects. Signup and view all the answers

In the Sharing Condition of the study, what happens?

Attention is shared while labeling the object with a familiar word. Signup and view all the answers

What was a key finding regarding infants’ pointing behavior?

Infants preferred responses that offered new information in later trials. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following was a characteristic of the participants in the study?

They were full-term monolingual infants. Signup and view all the answers

What was the purpose of the interactions between the experimenter and infants before the trials?

To ensure the infant remained engaged. Signup and view all the answers

What does the Informing Condition indicate about the labeling of objects?

It may convey unreliability by using a novel word. Signup and view all the answers

Which theoretical perspective is supported by the conclusion that certain linguistic knowledge might be innate?

Nativism Signup and view all the answers

What does the Gavagai problem illustrate about language acquisition?

Multiple hypotheses can fit the same evidence in language learning. Signup and view all the answers

What is the 'whole object bias' in language acquisition?

New nouns are generally assumed to refer to entire objects. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a limitation of the principle of mutual exclusivity?

Children often learn multiple names for the same object. Signup and view all the answers

In the Gavagai thought experiment, what might 'gavagai' refer to?

Any part of the object or an entirely different concept. Signup and view all the answers

How does the principle of mutual exclusivity influence word learning?

Children establish unique labels for every new object they encounter. Signup and view all the answers

What role do overextensions play in language acquisition?

They reveal that children are primarily interested in object shapes. Signup and view all the answers

The concept of referential bias suggests that children's word learning is influenced by:

The tendency to associate new nouns with tangible objects. Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of the Gavagai problem emphasizes the challenge in language learning?

The lack of information to determine what the word truly refers to. Signup and view all the answers

What characteristic of function words distinguishes them from content words?

Function words are shorter and often lack stress. Signup and view all the answers

At what age can infants begin to distinguish between function words and invented function words?

13 months Signup and view all the answers

Which learning mechanism is proposed to help infants achieve grammatical categorization?

Distributional analysis of word patterns. Signup and view all the answers

How do function words assist in syntactic development?

By helping infants identify frequent frames and syntactic categories. Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used to describe two words that commonly occur together with another word in between?

Frequent frame Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential factor that can disrupt the identification of frequent frames?

Modifiers and cross-linguistic issues. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following languages is mentioned as benefiting from the frequent frames strategy?

English Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of concrete nouns in language acquisition according to the information provided?

They aid in identifying patterns and connecting syntactic elements. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of the research mentioned?

To determine how various forms of contextual information affect verb identification success Signup and view all the answers

Which method was used to analyze the data in the study?

Repeated measures ANOVA Signup and view all the answers

What factor did the study control for to ensure accurate results?

Corpus frequency of test words Signup and view all the answers

What was a characteristic of the input provided in Experiment 1?

A silent scene with no linguistic input Signup and view all the answers

What does the study examine across trials?

Improvements in verb identification with exposure to more examples Signup and view all the answers

Which condition from Experiment 3 focused on information from the physical world?

Condition 1: Silent scene, no linguistic input Signup and view all the answers

What are lexical and syntactic bootstrapping referred to in the study?

Techniques for enhancing verb identification based on various cues Signup and view all the answers

Which statement is NOT supported by the study's findings?

Participants exhibit consistent failure in verb identification. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Language as a Cognitive Ability

Language is the scientific study of the mind and human intelligence, including reasoning, problem-solving, abstract thinking, planning, learning.
Focuses on understanding cognitive abilities, not just language as a social construct.
Seeks to understand the mental structures that generate language behavior.
Distinguishes between first language acquisition and second language acquisition.

First Language Acquisition

Focuses on human infants and children.
Language acquisition is unconscious and effortless.
Children learn the native language(s) of their environment.

Second Language Acquisition

Focuses on humans learning additional language(s) after their first language(s).
It requires conscious effort and is significantly more difficult to achieve native-like skills.

Hierarchy of Linguistic Representations

Sound waves and their interpretations by the mind are discussed.
Language involves going from physical sound waves to interpretations in the mind to producing similar thoughts as the speaker.
A study of how utterances are formed.
The decomposition of words into morphines which can be combined for whole words, followed by combining words into syntactic structures representing meanings.

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Description

This quiz covers various theories and concepts related to language acquisition, including processes like bootstrapping and the importance of joint attention. Test your understanding of infants' language development, phonotactic constraints, and prosodic features in word learning. Dive deep into the cognitive aspects of how children acquire language skills.