Psychology of Human Learning Edfd 302 mgmsantos

Language:  the words, their pronunciation, and the methods of combining them, used and understood by a considerable community

 a form of communication, whether spoken, written or signed, that is based on a system of symbols

1. Phonology – the sound system of the language  phoneme – the smallest unit of sound that affects meaning

 Example: the word CHAT has 3 phonemes or sounds ch / a / t

2. Morphology – refers to the units of meaning involved in word formation like words, affixes, and parts of speech and intonation/stress. Morpheme – is the smallest component of a word

Example: the word GIRL is 1 morpheme; when you add the suffix S, it will change the meaning and it has now 2 morphemes

3. Syntax – the system that involves the way words are combined to form acceptable phrases and sentences; the rules of grammar and sentence construction

Example: The cat killed the mouse. The mouse ate the cheese. The farmer chased the cat. Try to combine these sentences to make a more complex one

4. Semantics – the system that involves the meaning of words and sentences

Compare the meanings of the highlighted word in each sentence: 1. She has a good understanding of the problem. She is a very understanding person. 2. Stage 4 cancer is a critical stage. I hate it when you start being critical of my acts.

5. Pragmatics  system of using appropriate conversation and knowledge of how to effectively use language in context;

 how language changes from one social situation to another, it may be complex and differ from one culture to another  Example: -- using polite and formal language in public speeches

AGELANGUAGE MILESTONES Birth 1 to 2 months Crying Cooing begins 6 monthsBabbling begins 7 to 11 monthsChange from universal linguist to language-specific listener 8 to 12 months Use gestures such as showing and pointing Comprehension of words appear 13 monthsFirst word spoken 18 monthsVocabulary spurt starts 18 to 24 months Uses two-word utterances;Rapid expansion of understanding of words

1. B.F. Skinner: Behavioristic View of language (1957)  Language development is attributed to environmental influence.

 Skinner: children learn language based on reinforcement. When correct utterances are positively reinforced, the child realizes the communicative value of words and phrases, hence, enhancing the child's language development.

2. Noam Chomsky: Universal Grammar (1965)  innate, biological grammatical categories, such as a noun category and a verb category that facilitate the entire language development in children and overall language processing in adults

Chomsky  argued that children will never acquire the tools needed for processing an infinite number of sentences if the language acquisition mechanism was dependent on language input alone.

3. Eric Lenneberg: Critical Age Hypothesis (1967)  language acquisition is linked to maturation; the human brain is designed to acquire language at a certain time.

Lenneberg  The critical period for language learning is usually defined as lasting from about age 2 to puberty.

Lenneberg  After puberty the natural acquisition of language is thought to be blocked by a loss of ‘cerebral plasticity’ resulting from the completion of cerebral development and lateralization. (McLaughlin, 1984)

Lenneberg  Children are better second language learners than adults because their brains are specially organized to learn language whereas those of adults are not. (Birdsong, 1999)

4. Piaget Language depends on thought for its development, and is based on four sources of evidence:

Piaget (contd) a. The period of infancy b. The simultaneous emergence of language, deferred imitation, symbolic play, evocative memory, and mental imagery

Piaget (contd) c. The lack of effect of language upon reasoning abilities in middle childhood d. The nature of speech in early childhood

5. Vygotsky Thought and language are initially separate systems and the two merge at around two years of age, producing verbal thought.

Vygotsky  Mental operations are regarded as embodied in the structure of language, and hence cognitive development results from an internalization of language.

6. Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis: Linguistic Relativity  The language we speak influences the way we think.

Sapir-Whorf  There are certain thoughts of an individual in one language that cannot be understood by those speaking another language.

7. Wilhelm Von Humboldt: Weltanschauung (World View) Hypothesis  Equated language and thought as inseparable, as language completely determines thought

Humboldt  Emphasized “profound semantic” differences between languages which lead to varying “cognitive perspectives” (Cultural relativity)

What are your views on bilingual education?

“Positron emission tomography (PET) scans reveal a positive correlation between favorable environmental changes and an increase in synaptic connections among brain cells…” (Lanzi, Ramey & Ramey, 2007)

 “Stimulating the brain through enrichment experiences – good nutrition, toys, playmates, learning opportunities, parental counseling – can prevent a substantial amount of mental retardation and developmental disability…”