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Related Concept Videos

Language Development01:22

Language Development

588
Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
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Components of Language01:24

Components of Language

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Language, whether spoken, signed, or written, consists of specific components: lexicon and grammar. The lexicon is the vocabulary of a language, comprising its words. Grammar is the set of rules used to convey meaning through the lexicon. For example, English grammar adds “-ed” to most verbs to indicate past tense. Words are formed by combining phonemes, which are the basic sound units of a language. Different languages have different sets of phonemes (e.g., “ah” vs.
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Purposive Learning01:22

Purposive Learning

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E. C. Tolman emphasized the purposiveness of behavior — the idea that much of our behavior is goal-directed. For instance, employees who aim for a promotion work diligently to meet their targets. Tolman argued that when classical conditioning and operant conditioning occur, the organism acquires certain expectations. In classical conditioning, a child might fear a dog because they expect it to bite. In operant conditioning, a person might consistently work overtime because they expect a...
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Introduction to Learning01:18

Introduction to Learning

643
Learning is the process of acquiring knowledge or skills through practice or experience, leading to long-lasting behavioral changes. This acquisition occurs through interaction with the environment and requires practice or experience. For instance, mastering a skill such as surfing requires considerable practice and experience, highlighting the essential role of repeated interactions with the environment in learning.
In contrast to learned behaviors, unlearned behaviors such as crying, sexual...
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Language01:16

Language

474
Language is a unique communication system that uses words and systematic rules to organize and transmit information. Unlike other forms of communication, which may involve postures, movements, odors, or vocalizations, language relies on symbols and grammar. This makes human communication distinct from that of other species, who also communicate but do not use language in the same way humans do.
Corballis and Suddendorf (2007) and Tomasello and Rakoczy (2003) highlight the role of language in...
474
Language and Cognition01:27

Language and Cognition

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Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
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The Starting Big approach to language learning.

Inbal Arnon1

  • 1Psychology Department, Hebrew University, Jerusalem.

Journal of Child Language
|July 5, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The Starting Big approach highlights multiword units as key building blocks for language acquisition. This perspective explains how children learn language and why adults may struggle with second language learning.

Keywords:
language acquisitionmultiword unitsusage-based models

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Area of Science:

  • Psycholinguistics
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Computational Linguistics

Background:

  • Language acquisition research features historical disagreements on driving factors and data.
  • Existing theories often overlook the significance of multiword units in language learning.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Introduce the "Starting Big" approach to language learning.
  • Emphasize the role of multiword units and coarse-to-fine learning processes.
  • Provide a theoretical framework for first and second language acquisition.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical outlining of the "Starting Big" approach.
  • Presentation of core predictions and supporting evidence.
  • Discussion of learning and processing models.

Main Results:

  • Multiword units are proposed as integral building blocks in language.
  • These units can facilitate the mastery of semantically opaque word relations.
  • Adults' lesser reliance on multiword units compared to children may explain second language learning difficulties.

Conclusions:

  • The "Starting Big" approach offers a novel perspective on how children acquire language.
  • It provides insights into language representation and differences in first versus second language learning.
  • The approach has cross-linguistic implications for learning and processing models.