Macintosh is trying to get his grandson to learn the word "apple." His attempt involves looking at an apple on a tree, making sure that his grandson is also looking, and then saying "apple." Macintosh's effort to teach his grandson is clearly based on
A) infant-directed speech.
B) the innate orienting response.
C) fast-mapping.
D) joint attention.

Question

Macintosh is trying to get his grandson to learn the word "apple." His attempt involves looking at an apple on a tree, making sure that his grandson is also looking, and then saying "apple." Macintosh's effort to teach his grandson is clearly based on
A) ​infant-directed speech.
B) ​the innate orienting response.
C) ​fast-mapping.
D) ​joint attention.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Macintosh's effort to teach his grandson involves joint attention, where both Macintosh and his grandson are looking at the same object (the apple on the tree) and Macintosh is saying the word "apple." This is a form of joint attention, which helps in language learning by allowing the child to connect the word with the object. Infant-directed speech, the innate orienting response, and fast-mapping may also play a role in language learning, but are not demonstrated in this particular scenario.

Macintosh Is Trying to Get His Grandson to Learn the Word