Cognitive Development I: Language Development PDF - The Education University of Hong Kong

PSY2020 Human Development across the Lifespan Lecture 3 Cognitive Development I: Language Development Ting-Yat Wong, PhD Date: 22-Jan-2024 | T...

PSY2020 Human Development across the Lifespan Lecture 3 Cognitive Development I: Language Development Ting-Yat Wong, PhD Date: 22-Jan-2024 | Time: 13:30-16:20 | Venue: D4-G/F-04 Housekeeping Any Questions? 2 Agenda Infancy 3 What is Language? Klingon Infancy vs Ubbi Dubbi 4 What is Language? Klingon Infancy Klingon, developed by linguist Marc Okrand for Star Trek, has a full linguistic structure, including: Phonology: Specific sounds unique to the language. Syntax: Rules for word order (e.g., object-verb-subject). Vocabulary: Thousands of words with specific meanings. Grammar: Complex rules governing how words are combined. 5 What is Language? Ubbi Dubbi Infancy Ubbi Dubbi is a linguistic game often played by children, in which the syllable "ub" is inserted before each vowel sound in a word (e.g., "hello" becomes "hubellubo"). While it is fun and requires an understanding of phonology, it is not a full language because: No independent vocabulary: Ubbi Dubbi modifies existing words from English No unique syntax or grammar: It uses the grammatical structure of the base language (usually English) No cultural or historical depth: It is a playful modification, not a system for nuanced or cultural communication 6  Language development What is Language? Infancy Language is a structured system of communication that humans use to express thoughts, emotions, ideas, and information. It is a fundamental tool for social interaction, cultural expression, and knowledge transmission. Types of Language: 1. Spoken Language: The use of vocal sounds to convey meaning (e.g., English, Mandarin, Swahili). 2. Written Language: Visual representation of spoken language through symbols or characters. 3. Sign Language: A visual-gestural language used by the Deaf community, with its own grammar and syntax (e.g., Sign Language). 7  Language And Communication Differences Infancy between Language and Communication 8  Language learning involves… Five Components of Language Infancy 9 Five Components of Language Five Components of Language Infancy 10 Five Components of Language Five Components of Language Infancy 11 IsThink of it language development learned or born? Infancy learned (Empiricist)? born (Nativist)? Interactionist? Summary: In the fall of 1970, social workers took custody of a 13-year-old child who had spent much of her life chained to a potty chair in her bedroom. She could not speak, walk, or respond to other people. She was called "Genie." Her case attracted psychologists who were interested in finding out whether she could still learn to speak. At the time, some linguists, led by MIT's Noam Chomsky, believed that human speech is a genetically programmed ability. Eric Lenneberg, a neuropsychologist, agreed with Chomsky and added further that if a person did not learn to speak by adolescence, then the natural ability to learn language might be lost forever. This theory was the so-called "critical period hypothesis." Although Genie's situation was one that scientists would never create intentionally to test their theories, her unfortunate circumstances made her a prime candidate for experimentation. Genie was past puberty. If she could still learn language, it would cast doubt on the critical period hypothesis. Ultimately, Genie's caretakers were criticized for combining their research with her treatment. 12  TheoriesPerspective Empiricist Infancy of Language Development 13  Theories Nativist Infancy of Language Perspective Development 14  Theories Nativist Infancy of Language Perspective Development 15  Theories Nativist Infancy of Language Perspective Development 16  Theories Nativist Infancy of Language Perspective Development Broca’s Aphasia Wernike’s Aphasia 17  Theories Agenda Infancy of Language Development 18  Theories ofPerspective Interactionist Infancy Language Development 19  Theories ofPerspective Interactionist Infancy Language Development 20 Interactionist Infancy Perspective 21 Questions Infancy Which of the following best explains the nativist perspective of language? A. Language is learned through a combination of the environment and an innate ability. B. Infants learn their native language but not other languages. C. Language is learned because of a universal, innate, biological ability. D. The environment is primarily responsible for language acquisition and biological is second. 22 Questions Infancy Interactionist theorists argue that environmental supports help children acquire language. These supports include all of the following except A. Joint social interaction involving language. B. Linguistic processor that drawing rules about syntax of a language. C. child-directed speech given by mothers. D. Expansion of language. 23  Language Discussion Infancy Development Parents and adults help infants master language sounds by talking in a distinctive style Think on your own… In what distinctive way do adults talk to infants? How can this help infants master the language? 24  Language Baby Talk Infancy Development 25  Infant-directed Speech Infant-Directed Infancy Speech Adult-Directed Speech Infant-Directed Speech From Fernald et al. 1984, 1987 26 Infant-Directed Infancy Speech Definition: Also called "parentese," it refers to the distinct way adults speak to infants, characterized by a higher pitch, slower tempo, and exaggerated intonation. Purpose: Engages infants’ attention and aids in language acquisition. Importance: 1. Enhances attention and engagement. 2. Simplifies language input for easier learning. 3. Facilitates word segmentation and recognition. 4. Strengthens caregiver-infant bonding. Research Findings: Infants prefer infant-directed speech Fernald: 4-month-olds listen to a stranger’s speech (to own infant (ID) or to an adult) 27 Infant-Directed Infancy Speech and Language Acquistion How could infant directed speech help language acquisition? Infant directed speech is higher-pitched: Easier to hear (Subjective loudness increases with pitch) Infant directed speech is smoothed & connected: Easier to follow Exaggerated contours express emotion: Attention-catching Soothing 28 Infant-Directed Infancy Speech and Language Acquistion Do infants get the message? Fernald: 9-month-olds – Results: Listen to the tune! Play engagedly when hearing “approval” tune (e.g., Good! “Clever girl!) Hesitate to play when hearing “prohibition” tune (No!, Don’t touch that!) 18-month-olds listen to the words rather than the melody 29 What do 0-2 month babies say? Infancy Reflexive vocalization: Examples: Crying, hiccups, burps, sighs Sound Characteristics: Not speech-like; lacks regular voicing Communication Function: Reflexive and not linguistic 30 What do 2-month babies say? Infancy Cooing (gurgling or mewing): Sound Characteristics: Real vowels, such as "coo," "ga-ga," "goo" Developmental Progress: Infants develop increasing control over vocal cords Communication Function: Not linguistic and not intentional 31 What do 4-6 month babies say? Infancy Babbling: Sound Characteristics: Consonant-vowel (CV) combinations (e.g., "mamama," "papapa") Developmental Progress: Early babbling involves vocal play, with occasional real CV syllables (e.g., "ba") Communication Function: Pre-linguistic and exploratory; a stepping stone toward speech 32 One-word Vocalization First word infants usually say Infancy 33 Cross-language Infancy similarity in Papa and Mama 34 What do 12-14 month babies say? Infancy One word at a time! Developmental Progress: New words appear slowly in production, typically one at a time What words? – Content words: (Nelson, 1973: English) Names for things (ball, doggie) – 51% Action (up, off, gone) Social (bye, no) Routines (bath, lunch) Modifiers (hot) – No function words (the, but, or, until) 35 What do 18-24 month babies say? Infancy Word Combinations: 2-Word Stage Developmental Progress: Children begin combining words, typically begins ~6 months after first words. Characteristics of Word Combinations: – Mostly two words at a time – Combinations focus on content words, leaving out function words – Word order is correct early on Examples: Noun + Noun: "Doggie bed." Noun + Verb: "Baby eat." Verb + Noun: "Want cookie." 36 What do 18-24 month babies say? Infancy Telegraphic speech – Characteristics: Simple sentences containing only critical words, with no grammatical markers. Common in languages where word order is more important than grammatical markers. – Semantic Intent: Meaning is derived from words and context rather than grammatical structures. – Examples: "Want cookie." "Daddy go." 37 What do 18-24 month babies say? Infancy Lots of semantic relations expressed 38 After 2-Word Combination Stage (~ 2-3 Years) Infancy Sentence Length: Gradual increase in sentence complexity and length. Acquisition of Function Words: Examples: "The tree is green", "A dog’s walking" Learning Rules: Not only individual words but also morphemes (elements of meaning). Regular cases: "shoe → shoes," "walk → walked." Irregular cases: "foot → feet," "run → ran." Over-Generalization: Applying rules incorrectly at first (e.g., "foot → foots," "run → runned"). Progression: Shows early understanding of linguistic rules 39 Comprehend Infancy Function Words? Do children know about function words at all at 2-word stage? Gerken & McIntosh: 24-month-olds Compare accuracy across 4 conditions: (1) Grammatical: “Find the bird for me!” (2) Missing: “Find --- bird for me!” (3) Ungrammatical: “Find was bird for me!” (4) Nonsense: “Find gub bird for me!”gth of utterance = 1 – 2.5) 40 Comprehend Infancy Function Words? Function Words Matter: Even 24-month-old children who are just starting to speak (1-word speakers) showed an ability to process function words (e.g., "the," "is"). Children picked objects or images more accurately when the correct function word was used in speech Role of Context: Function words provide important grammatical cues, helping children make sense of sentences and link words to their meanings. These cues enhance their understanding of relationships between nouns, verbs, and other sentence components. 41 Language Learning: Preschool Period Language Infancy Development during the preschool period Preschool period (2½–5 year old): children’s sentences become increasingly complex and resemble adult-like structures Grammatical Morphemes (Modifiers that enhance sentence precision by conveying specific meanings): ‘-s’: Indicates plurality (e.g., "cats") ‘-ed’: Marks past tense (e.g., "jumped") ‘-ing’: Denotes present progressive (e.g., "running") Overregularization (The application of newly learned grammatical rules to irregular cases): Examples: ○ Correct: "dogs" → Incorrect: "foots" (instead of "feet") ○ Correct: "played" → Incorrect: "goed" (instead of "went") 42 Language Infancy Development during the preschool period Mastering Transformational Rules Transformational Grammar: Involves modifying a sentence structure by moving or adding elements Helps explain the relationship between different sentence types, such as statements and questions Asking Questions: Yes/No Questions: ○ Characterized by rising intonation (e.g., “You are coming?” → “Are you coming?”) Wh- Questions: ○ Introduced by question words like who, what, where, when, and why ○ Requires reordering of sentence elements (e.g., “You are going where?” → “Where are you going?”) 43 Language Infancy Development during the preschool period Producing Negative Sentences Early attempts to express negation often involve simple structures: ○ Examples: “No apple” (negating the presence of an item). “No I go” (negating an action). ○ Negation typically precedes the subject or verb in early stages. 44 Language Infancy Development during the preschool period Producing Complex Sentences Age 3: ○ Children begin combining clauses and using conjunctions (e.g., “I want to play because it’s fun”). ○ Embedded sentences emerge, allowing for more complex structures: Example: “That’s the box that they put it in.” Ages 5–6: ○ Grammar becomes more sophisticated and closely resembles adult-like syntax ○ Children demonstrate a strong grasp of sentence structure, including advanced forms like embedded clauses and proper use of conjunctions 45 Language Infancy Development during the preschool period Semantic Development Ages 2–5: ○ Children begin to understand and express relational contrasts, such as: Size: big/little Height: tall/short Location: in/on, here/there Challenges with Passive Sentences: ○ At this stage, children often misinterpret passive sentence structures, focusing on word order rather than grammatical cues. Example: “The cat was chased by the dog” may be understood as “The cat chased the dog.” 46  Middle Middle Infancy Childhood Childhood And Adolescence Syntactic and Semantic Advancements Syntactic Refinement: Mastery of subtle grammatical rules and increasingly complex sentence structures Semantic and Metalinguistic Awareness: Ability to analyze and think about language independently of concrete word meanings. Examples: ○ Understanding figurative language like metaphors and idioms. ○ Recognizing ambiguities in sentence meaning 47  Middle Middle Infancy Childhood Childhood And Adolescence Syntactic and Semantic Advancements Rapid Vocabulary Growth: Morphological Knowledge: ○ Using knowledge of morphemes (small units of meaning) to infer the meaning of new words ○ Example: “unhappiness” → Understanding “un-” (not) and “-ness” (state of) Abstract Words: ○ Incorporating less tangible concepts like freedom or justice into everyday vocabulary 48  Middle Middle Infancy Childhood Childhood And Adolescence Syntactic and Semantic Advancements Ages 9–11: Developing the ability to recognize subtle language cues and make inferences. Examples: ○ Drawing conclusions from context. ○ Interpreting implied meanings in conversations or texts. 49  Middle Middle Infancy Childhood Childhood And Adolescence Further Development of Communication Skills Referential Communication Skills: Significant improvement by ages 6–7. Ability to effectively exchange information by referencing specific entities (e.g., people, objects, or events). Example: Providing clearer descriptions, such as “The red ball on the table” rather than just “the ball.” Shift Toward Less Egocentrism: Increased ability to consider others’ perspectives and adapt communication accordingly. Example: Explaining things in more detail when talking to someone unfamiliar with the topic. Ages 9–10: Enhanced ability to clarify ambiguous information when necessary. Example: Adding explanations when a listener appears confused, such as “No, the small box, not the big one.” 50  Middle Childhood Important Infancy Milestones And Adolescence in Language Development 51 Language Infancy and Thoughts Proficiency in oral language provides children with a vital tool for thought. Without fluent and structured oral language, children will find it very difficult to think. –Jerome Bruner (1983) 52 Eskimo InfancyWords for Ice and Snow qanik (snow falling) pukak (crystalline snow on the ground) nilak (freshwater ice, for drinking) qinu (slushy ice by the sea) 53 Eskimo InfancyWords for Ice and Snow Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis: Suggests that language influences cognition and Whorf, B. L. (1956). Language, thought, and reality: Selected perception, shaping how individuals interpret and interact with the world writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf. MIT Press. Pullum, G. K. (1991). The great Eskimo Languages and Ice: Eskimo vocabulary hoax and other irreverent essays on the study of Eskimo-Aleut languages contain multiple words to describe ice, language. University of Chicago emphasizing its cultural and environmental relevance: Press. ○ “Qanuk”: Falling snow ○ “Aput”: Snow on the ground This lexical richness reflects the practical importance of ice in Arctic environments Cognitive Implications: Linguistic distinctions influence how speakers categorize and conceptualize ice, illustrating the relationship between language, culture, and cognition Provides evidence for linguistic relativity—the idea that language affects thought 54 Critical Period Hypothesis Genie’s InfancyCases https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=Uru3DlmOv_M&pp=ygUPR2Vua WXigJlzIENhc2Vz 55 Critical InfancyPeriod Hypothesis The Critical Period Hypothesis (Lenneberg, 1967) suggests that there is a biologically determined window during early life—typically from birth to puberty—when the brain is especially receptive to language acquisition. After this period, language learning becomes significantly more challenging due to reduced neural plasticity. Evidence: First language (L1): Children deprived of language input (e.g., Genie, the feral child) struggle to acquire native-like fluency if exposed after puberty. Second language (L2): Adults often show less proficiency and more pronounced accents compared to those who learn a second language during childhood. Biological Basis: The lateralization of language functions in the brain is believed to limit the ease of language learning beyond puberty. Lenneberg, E. H. (1967). Biological foundations of language. New York: Wiley. 56 Critical InfancyPeriod Hypothesis Important Implications: Children need lots of exposure to learn a particular language Children are better language learners (than adults) 57 Bilingualism Infancy and Language Development Early Exposure to Two Languages: Children exposed to two languages before age 3 can achieve proficiency in both Preschool Language Learning: Preschool-aged children often acquire a second language to near-proficiency within a year Cognitive Advantages: Research shows bilingual children may exhibit: ○ Higher scores on IQ tests ○ Enhanced metalinguistic awareness (understanding the structure and use of language) ○ Better selective attention and inhibitory control (managing conflicting information) Mixed Evidence on Cognitive Benefits: While many studies highlight cognitive advantages, some research suggests no significant cognitive benefits associated with bilingualism 58 Links Materials Online Infancyon Language Development Help baby starting speaking – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcuj9P4g81A Procedure for investigating infant speech perception and language development – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFlxiflDk_o The linguistic genius of babies – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2XBIkHW954 Language delay – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFC4UK5rk4E 59 Further readings A movie you might be interested (a bit related to dyslexia): “taare zameen par” (Like stars on Earth). You may find it in our library. Archive of Jean Piaget - http://archivespiaget.ch/en/index.html Archive of Lev Vygotsky - http://www.marxists.org/archive/vygotsky/ Textbook chapter 9. Lin, D., McBride-Chang, C., Aram, D., Shu, H., Levin, I., & Cho, J.-R. (2012) Maternal mediation of writing and kindergarteners’ literacy: A comparison between Hong Kong and Beijing. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104, 121-137. 謝錫金 編著 (2002). 綜合高效識字教學法。青天教育中心。 謝錫金，林偉業，林裕康，羅嘉怡 (2005). 兒童閱讀能力進展: 香港與國際的比較。香 港大學出版社。 60 60