Language development

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What this unit covers

• Language, a system for communicating thoughts and feelings, via verbal and non-verbal ways.: Language serves as a method for expressing thoughts and emotions through both spoken and non-spoken forms.
• Language, a system for communicating thoughts and feelings, via verbal and non-verbal ways.: The typical phases involved in learning a language include: pre-linguistic, babbling, one-word, two-word, telegraphic, and multi-word (post-telegraphic).
• The location and function of language centres in the brain:: Identify the areas in the brain responsible for language, including Broca’s area in the frontal lobe for speech production and Wernicke’s area in the temporal lobe for speech comprehension.
• The location and function of language centres in the brain:: Explain Chomsky’s theory on how language is acquired biologically, covering concepts such as the language acquisition device (LAD), universal grammar, and the critical period for language learning during early life.
• The learning theory of language development including:: The learning theory of language development encompasses concepts such as observation and imitation, as well as the use of positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement, which involves removing an unpleasant stimulus after a behavior to increase the likelihood of that behavior being repeated.
• The learning theory of language development including:: Support for the learning theory of language development can be found in studies such as Goldstein et al., which highlight the importance of speech and social feedback.
• The role of schemas in language development, including processes of:: Schemas play a significant role in language development through processes such as assimilation, where new information is added to an existing schema without altering it, and accommodation, which involves modifying an existing schema to include new information.
• The role of schemas in language development, including processes of:: Piaget’s cognitive theory of language development outlines several stages: the sensory motor stage, where language skills are physical and repetitive; the pre-operational stage, characterized by symbolic thought and egocentric speech; the concrete operational stage, which involves socialized speech; and the formal operational stage, where abstract ideas can be expressed through language.