Question 1

The production of the first words is linked to the ability to

Accepted Answer

The production of the first words is linked to the ability to use symbols. This means that a child must be able to associate a sound or gesture with a particular object or concept. The ability to use symbols is a key milestone in cognitive development and is essential for language acquisition. While the production of vowels, consonants, and intonation are all important aspects of language development, they are not the primary factor related to the production of the first words.

Question 2

The production of syllables that contain vowels and consonants is called

Accepted Answer

Babbling refers to the production of syllables containing both vowels and consonants, typically between 6-10 months of age. Cooing refers to the production of vowel-like sounds, fast mapping refers to the ability to quickly learn and understand new words, and intonation refers to the rise and fall in pitch of speech.

Question 3

As children develop the ability to use symbols, they begin to talk and

Accepted Answer

As children develop the ability to use symbols, they begin to use gestures as a form of symbolic communication, alongside speech.

Question 4

Two-year-old Michael already knows the meaning of the word dog. One day when he is at a park with his mother, they see a dog and his mother points to the dog and says, "That's a collie." Michael is likely to conclude that

Accepted Answer

Since Michael already knows the word "dog," he understands that it is a general term for a type of animal. When his mother points to a specific type of dog and identifies it as a "collie," Michael will likely conclude that "collie" refers to a special type of dog. This is his mother introducing him to a more specific term that falls under the general category of "dog."

Question 5

A child's ability to make connections between new words and referents so rapidly that he or she cannot be considering all possible meanings for the new word is referred to as

Accepted Answer

The ability for a child to quickly connect a new word with its referent is called fast mapping. This process happens so quickly that the child cannot consider all the meanings for the new word. A, B, and C are incorrect options as they refer to other language development phenomena. Overregularization is when a child applies a grammatical rule too broadly, such as using "goed" instead of "went." Underextension is when a child applies a word to only a narrow range of referents, such as calling only their own pet cat "cat" but not recognizing other cats as the same. Overextension is when a child applies a word too broadly, such as calling all animals "dog."

Question 6

As infants develop

Accepted Answer

As infants develop, their babbling shifts from single syllable utterances to combinations of different sounds. This is known as canonical babbling, which usually begins around 6-7 months of age.

Answer: B 
 The average length of each babbled sound decreases as infants develop. This is because they become more skilled at producing a wider range of sounds and become more precise in their articulation.

Answer: C 
 Babbling tends to become more constant in pitch as infants develop. This is because they become more able to control their vocal cords and produce steady, sustained sounds.

Answer: D 
 This statement is incorrect. Coos are actually an earlier stage of vocal development that typically precedes babbling. Infants usually begin cooing around 2-3 months of age, and then transition to canonical babbling a few months later.

Question 7

Which of the following is a CORRECT statement concerning the rules children use to learn new words?

Accepted Answer

A) This statement describes the principle of mutual exclusivity, where children assume that each object has one unique name. When they encounter a new word among known and unknown objects, they tend to associate the new word with the object that doesn't already have a name. This principle helps children efficiently learn new words by leveraging their existing vocabulary.

Question 8

Barry tells his 3-year-old son, Billy, the name of an unfamiliar object. You would expect Billy to

Accepted Answer

Children, including 3-year-olds like Billy, often use rules or strategies to link words with their meanings, a process known as fast mapping. This ability allows them to quickly attach labels to objects, actions, or concepts after only a few exposures, sometimes even after a single exposure.

Question 9

Cooing refers to

Accepted Answer

Cooing refers specifically to the production of vowel-like sounds, such as "ooooooo" or "ahhhhhhh." It is an early vocalization that infants make before developing more advanced speech sounds. Option A describes babbling, option C describes reduplicated babbling, and option D describes intonation.

Question 10

Meredith has just begun to be able to use symbols to represent actions and objects. You would expect her to use

Accepted Answer

At this stage of development, Meredith is likely using a combination of words and gestures to represent actions and objects. While she may not have a fully developed vocabulary, she may still be able to communicate using a combination of sounds, words, and gestures as she learns to associate them with different meanings.

Question 11

Which of the following is TRUE of the development of babbling?

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that early babbling is primarily composed of simple consonants and vowel sounds, with more complex sounds added later. Intonation is also added to babbling as infants develop. Therefore, option B is correct. Option A is incorrect because infants typically produce simpler sounds before more complex ones. Option C is incorrect because early babbling typically involves a limited number of sounds, rather than combinations of many different sounds. Option D is incorrect because babbling involves the production of both vowel and consonant sounds, not just vowel-like sounds.

Question 12

Intonation refers to

Accepted Answer

Intonation refers to the pattern of rising or falling pitch in an utterance or sentence. It conveys the speaker's emotions, attitudes, and intentions.

Question 13

According to the rules that young children use to learn the meanings of new words, when Ravisha points to a picture of a boy in a blue shirt and says "boy" her 13-month-old son will assume that the word "boy" refers to

Accepted Answer

According to the rules of associative learning, the word "boy" will be associated with the image of the boy in the blue shirt that Ravisha is pointing to. The child will assume that the word refers to the person depicted in the picture (i.e., the boy) rather than the shirt he is wearing or the color of the shirt. The book that Ravisha is reading is not relevant to the child's learning of the meaning of the word "boy."

Question 14

Babbling refers to

Accepted Answer

Babbling is the production of speech-like sounds that consist of a vowel and consonant but that have no meaning.

Question 15

Most children say their first words at about __________ of age.

Accepted Answer

According to developmental milestones, most children say their first words around 12 months of age, although some may start as early as 6-8 months or as late as 18-24 months.

Question 16

Jenny just had her first baby and is wondering when he will begin producing different kinds of sounds. Which of the following should she expect him to produce first?

Accepted Answer

Cooing is typically the first vocalization that infants produce, starting around 2-4 months of age. Babbling and intonation usually follow around 6-10 months, and first words usually emerge around 12 months of age.

Question 17

When do toddlers experience their first vocabulary spurt naming (explosion)?

Accepted Answer

Toddlers typically experience their first vocabulary spurt, or naming explosion, between 18 to 20 months, during which they rapidly acquire new words.

Question 18

Fast mapping denotes the phenomenon that

Accepted Answer

Fast mapping refers to the rapid process by which children learn new words and their meanings with minimal exposure, without the need for explicit instruction or feedback, often not considering all possible meanings of the word.

Question 19

When young children are learning new words, they

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that young children are more likely to learn new words when adults look at the object while saying its name. This helps children make the connection between the word and the object it refers to. Option A is not entirely accurate as sometimes children can learn a new word after just one exposure, while for others it may take more presentations. Option B is not correct as young children do not systematically consider all possible hypotheses about word-meaning connections. Option D is not correct as sentence cues can be helpful for young children to learn new words, such as when a new word is introduced in a sentence with familiar words.

Question 20

Celia has noticed that her 7-month-old daughter has recently begun to raise and lower the pitch of her voice when she babbles so she sometimes sounds as if she is asking questions. Celia's daughter has added __________ to her babbling.

Accepted Answer

Intonation refers to the rise and fall of pitch in speech. By raising and lowering the pitch of her voice when babbling, Celia's daughter is demonstrating the beginnings of intonation, which is an important aspect of language development.

Quiz 9: Language and Communication