Eight-month-old Thea and her mother watch a grasshopper in their yard. Her mother labels the grasshopper and describes what it is doing. Thea and her mother are engaged in
A) telegraphic speech.
B) referential communication.
C) syntactic bootstrapping.
D) joint attention.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Joint attention refers to when two individuals are both focused on the same object or activity and use this shared focus to communicate and share information. In this scenario, Thea and her mother are both focused on the grasshopper, and her mother is labeling and describing it for Thea. This is an example of joint attention. Telepathic speech refers to the use of short, simple phrases to communicate a message. Referential communication involves using language to refer to objects or events in the environment. Syntactic bootstrapping refers to using the rules of grammar to learn new words or concepts.

Eight-Month-Old Thea and Her Mother Watch a Grasshopper in Their