Test Your Knowledge on Language Development

True/False: Infants are born with a preference for listening to their native language.

• True

• False

True/False: When a young child learns two languages at the same time, the extra effort it takes to learn the second language slows down the child’s general cognitive development.

• True

• False

What is a morpheme?

• A morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning in a language.
• A morpheme is a synonym for a word.
• A morpheme is a complete sentence.
• A morpheme is a type of grammatical error.

What does B. F. Skinner's theory suggest about language development?

• Language development is learned through imitation and reinforcement.
• Children learn language through genetic predisposition.
• Language is primarily acquired through formal education.
• Language development is innate and not influenced by the environment.

What is a type of grammatical error in which children apply a language rule to words that don’t follow that rule or pattern?

• Overgeneralization

• Interactionism

• Cognitive Processing Theory

• None of the above

What does interactionism propose about language development?

• It is solely based on biological readiness

• It is a social process

• It combines biological readiness and social interaction

• None of the above

What are the two areas in the left hemisphere of the brain that are central to language?

• Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area

• Cerebellum and Medulla

• Frontal lobe and Occipital lobe

• None of the above

What happens when a person has damage to Broca’s area?

• They can understand language

• They have difficulty speaking

• They can write well

What is the difference between receptive and expressive language?

• Receptive language is understanding, expressive is speaking

• They are the same

• Expressive language is understanding, receptive is speaking

At what age do most babies begin to produce recognizable words?

• 6 months

• 24 months

• 12 months

• 18 months