Language Development in Infants

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Questions and Answers

At what age are infants capable of vocal imitation at a greater rate?

  • 6 months
  • 3 months
  • 12 months (correct)
  • 18 months

What is the primary function of infants' early attempts to initiate interactions with adults?

  • To coordinate gestures, looks and vocalisations
  • To respond to the points of others
  • To direct the adult's attention to the infant or an object (correct)
  • To vocalize and produce sounds

What is the aspect of language concerned with the perception and production of sounds?

  • Semantics
  • Phonology (correct)
  • Syntax
  • Morphology

How do older children typically initiate interactions with others compared to younger children?

<p>They wait until the other speaker has finished (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary way infants as young as 8 months initiate interactions with adults?

<p>Pointing or reaching towards an object (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the result of young children's tendency to interrupt others in conversations?

<p>Disrupted conversational flow (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How do adults contribute to the structure and maintenance of conversations with young children?

<p>They contribute a great deal (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What do infants learn to do as they acquire language?

<p>Use more vocalisations and fewer gestures (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between facial imitation at 3 months and vocal imitation at 12 months?

<p>Facial imitation at 3 months is related to a greater rate of vocal imitation at 12 months (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of imitation in children's conversations with others?

<p>To take a turn by repeating all or part of what the speaker has just said (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

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Study Notes

Language Acquisition

  • Infants decipher speech sounds to understand language by dividing the speech stream into meaningful units.
  • Infant-directed speech (motherese) facilitates language acquisition, characterized by a higher pitch, more exaggerated pitch contours, a larger pitch range, and rhythmic speech.

Speech Segmentation

  • By 7 months, infants can recognize familiar words in an uninterrupted speech stream.
  • Infants use cues like strongly stressed syllables to determine word beginnings and endings.
  • Infants prefer to listen to human speech over other sounds, facilitating speech segmentation.

Speech Production

  • Infants' ability to produce speech sounds lags behind their ability to perceive them.
  • Developmental phases of vocal production include:
    • Reflexive vocalizations (birth-2 months)
    • Cooing and laughing (2-4 months)
    • Babbling and vocal play (4-6 months)
    • Canonical babbling (6-10 months)
    • Modulated babbling (10 months-onwards)

The Development of the Syntactic System

  • Children's acquisition of syntax follows a predictable pattern in the first two years of life.
  • Between 10-18 months, children begin to produce single-word utterances.
  • Between 18-24 months, children begin to produce two-word utterances, conveying meaningful information.

Articulation and Imitation

  • Children's pronunciation is affected by a combination of hereditary and environmental factors.
  • Imitation plays a significant role in language development, with infants capable of imitation from a young age.
  • Turn-taking and initiation of interactions are also crucial aspects of language development.

Conversation Maintenance

  • Appropriate turn-taking is essential for conversational flow.
  • Young children tend to interrupt others, while older children are more likely to wait for their turn.
  • Adults contribute significantly to the structure and maintenance of conversations with young children.

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