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Child Psychology: A Contemporary Viewpoint, First Canadian Edition

E. Mavis Hetherington, University of Virginia
Ross D. Parke, University of California
Mark Schmuckler, University of Toronto at Scarborough

Language and Communication

Application Questions


1		B.F. Skinner and Noam Chomsky about language acquisition. What arguments would each theorist make? What evidence would they put forth to support their views? Try to write some dialogue that summarizes their key points and assumptions.



2		Interview parents about the ages at which their children achieved important milestones in language development. For example, when did their child: coo babble show patterned speech speak their first word speak two word phrases point or use other gestures speak clearly enough to be understood by a stranger To what extent did these behaviours appear at similar ages across children? Did these milestones appear in a similar order across children? What does this reveal about how language is acquired?



3		With parental permission, record or audiotape the language utterances of children aged around 18 months, 2 years, and 3 years. What is the typical length of utterance (i.e., one word? two word combinations?)? What kinds of words do children learn first? What are the errors in early word use? How does each child use nonverbals (such as gestures and eye gaze) to add meaning? How clear is their speech? From your observations, speculate on how language development proceeds.



4		How does social interaction affect the ability of the child to learn language? Take a few moments to observe a parent interacting with their young child. Describe their use of motherese: repetition of words, pitch of their voice, length of their sentences, etc. Describe other techniques that parents use to support language acquisition.



5		Today, an increasing number of Canadian schoolchildren are being enrolled in French Immersion. Talk with a friend who experienced French Immersion (or another second language learning experience) beginning either in the elementary years or at the junior high level. In retrospect, how do they feel about their experience? Did the experience enhance their cognitive skills? Did the experience impair the development of literacy skills in their first language? What is their evidence? Would they repeat this schooling experience with their own children? Why or why not?

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