Question 1

Kailee has learned the word "kitty," but she uses this word when she is referring to cats, bunnies, squirrels, and other small furry animals. What does this example illustrate?

Accepted Answer

This example illustrates overextension, which occurs when a child uses a word in a broader context than its actual meaning. In this case, Kailee is using the word "kitty" to refer to any small furry animal, not just cats.

Question 2

Jenna is 14 months old and uses only "bottle," "no," "up," "bye-bye," "mama," and "dada" when she talks. However, when her father tells Jenna to get her blue bunny from the bedroom and bring it to him, Jenna quickly runs to get the bunny. What does this example illustrate?

Accepted Answer

Jenna's ability to understand and follow complex instructions despite her limited spoken vocabulary demonstrates that her receptive vocabulary (words she understands) is larger than her productive vocabulary (words she can say).

Question 3

At about what age are a child's first words generally spoken?

Accepted Answer

The average age for a child's first words is 10 to 13 months. While some babies may start speaking as early as 6 months or as late as 18 months, the majority begin speaking around their first birthday.

Question 4

Seamus heard of and ate ice cream for the first time yesterday. All day today he has been asking for ice cream. What does this example illustrate?

Accepted Answer

Seamus's ability to quickly learn and remember the new word "ice cream" after only experiencing it once is an example of fast mapping.

Question 5

Evidence was presented in the Featured Study about babbling in the manual mode. What did that study suggest about babbling?

Accepted Answer

The Featured Study suggests that babbling is an important component of language development, regardless of the modality. This includes manual babbling, which can be observed in deaf infants who use American Sign Language (ASL).

Question 6

In general, which of the following is true of toddlers' language abilities?

Accepted Answer

Toddlers have a receptive vocabulary (words they understand) that is bigger than their expressive vocabulary (words they can say). This means that they understand more words than they are able to say.

Question 7

When a child incorrectly uses a word to describe a narrower set of objects or actions than it is meant to, which type of error is a child making?

Accepted Answer

Underextension occurs when a child uses a word to describe a narrower set of objects or actions than it is meant to. This is common when a child is first learning language and may not have a full understanding of the meaning of a word.

Question 8

By what age do children generally master linguistic concepts like plural, or past-tense?

Accepted Answer

Children generally master linguistic concepts like plural by age 3.

Question 9

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

Accepted Answer

Although telegraphic speech occurs in many languages, it is not a universal aspect of language development. While some cultures may use telegraphic speech more frequently than others, it is not unique to Western cultures or the English language. However, the use of telegraphic speech is not universal and may vary across cultures and languages.

Question 10

Two-year-old Owen rushes into the kitchen and tells his sister: "Baby throw. Baby bad." He wants her to know that his baby brother is bad because he just threw his toys on the floor. What does Owen's communication illustrate?

Accepted Answer

Owen's communication exhibits telegraphic speech, which is characterized by using short and simple sentences to convey meaning. In this case, Owen leaves out words like "is" and "so" to express his thought quickly and effectively.

Question 11

You are listening to two-year-old Annie as she says "No eat. No like." She is trying to let you know that she is not going to eat her broccoli because she doesn't like it. What does Annie's communication illustrate?

Accepted Answer

Annie's communication is an example of telegraphic speech, which is when a child omits unnecessary words and only uses the most important ones to convey their message. In this case, Annie is omitting the verb "to" in "No like" and focusing on the important information that she does not like the broccoli.

Question 12

What must be true about babbling if infants who are learning sign language show evidence of manual babbling (using sign-language-based babbling), but other infants show only vocal babbling?

Accepted Answer

The fact that infants learning sign language show evidence of manual babbling suggests that babbling is related to language acquisition in general, rather than just vocal speech. This implies that babbling is not specific to vocal motor development but rather is a broader component of overall language learning. Therefore, choice C is the best answer.

Question 13

Which of the following would constitute underextension, if done by a three-year-old child?

Accepted Answer

Underextension occurs when a child uses a word too narrowly, applying it to fewer objects or situations than it actually represents, such as using 'kitty' only for her own cat.

Question 14

Roberto knows how to say "red," but when his cousin asks him to name the colours of the cars that drive past their house, he says red for the red cars, the blue cars, the green cars, and the black cars. What does this example illustrate?

Accepted Answer

This example illustrates overextension, where Roberto is using the word "red" to describe cars of all colours, rather than distinguishing between them using their proper names.

Question 15

Overextensions are more common in children's production of words than in their comprehension of words. What does this imply about the use of overextensions?

Accepted Answer

Overextensions in children's speech imply that they are using the limited vocabulary they have to express a wider range of meanings, indicating they must rely on a very limited vocabulary to express themselves.

Question 16

What is fast mapping?

Accepted Answer

Fast mapping is the ability to relate new words to underlying concepts after only one exposure. It is a crucial component of language development in young children.

Question 17

Dale is in Grade 5 and his sister Alina is in Grade 3. What major difference would you expect in comparing their vocabularies?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Dale is in Grade 5 and his...

Question 18

Which of the following situations would lead you to suspect that the child has a language development problem?

Accepted Answer

A two-year-old child who is only babbling and using only a few words may show signs of a language development problem. At two years, most children have developed basic language skills and are able to use some simple sentences. Therefore, it is important to keep an eye on this child's progress and possibly seek professional evaluation. A, B, and D are not necessarily indicators of language development problems as they reflect different levels of language progress based on age.

Question 19

Valerie is 18 months old. What should her productive vocabulary consist of?

Accepted Answer

At 18 months, a typical child's productive vocabulary usually consists of about 3 to 50 words.

Question 20

Which of the following is a case of overextension?

Accepted Answer

Overextension occurs when a word is used for a wider set of objects or actions than it applies to. For example, a child may refer to all animals as "doggy" or all vehicles as "car."

Quiz 8: A: Language and Thought