course material

1. WEEK 3 FORUM
ASSIGNMENT Chomsky’s Theory of Language Development discusses “critical periods” for
learning language. Following from this theory, disruptions during critical periods should
negatively affect the development of language. Unfortunately, there are some examples
from real life to demonstrate this hypothesis. Please link to and read the following
regarding both a very recent and an historic
case:http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4758945&page=1Here are some additional,
optional resources on Genie:http://documentarystorm.com/secret-of-the-wild-
child/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2112gchild.htmlObviously, these are
both horrific cases of child abuse.1.) What does “Genie’s” final outcome tell us about
language (and emotional) development? 2.) What cues can educators take from these tragic
cases?IntroductionThis lesson will explore the emotional and communication development
of children. Firstly, we will discuss the theories of emotional development. We will then
look at how emotion develops in two main stages: primary emotions which include joy,
anger and fear, and secondary emotions which comprise the self-conscious emotions. We
will then move onto attachment theory where we investigate how the different kinds of
caregiver-infant relationships either create secure or insecure attachments, and the impact
of these attachments on child development. In the second part of the lesson, we will explore
language and communication development. We will cover how this development is socially
facilitated, as well as the components of language and communication. Lastly, we will
discuss the social use of language.Emotional Development‹›· EmotionsEmotions have many
important functions and have a significant impact on child development. Emotions are
internal responses to the environment, that are accompanied by physiological and
behavioral changes. For instance, sadness may be accompanied by a change in heart rate
and release of cortisol, a stress hormone. Learning how to interpret other’s emotions is also
a key aspect of development.Development of Emotional ExpressionWhile most mothers
agree that they can detect emotions in the first month of their baby’s life (Johnson, Emde,
Pannabecker, Stenberg, & Davis, 1982), the Maximally Discriminative Facial Movement
(MAX) coding system developed by Izard, Fantauzzo, Castle, Haynes and Slomine (1995),
determines infant emotions based on their body movements and facial
expressions.PRIMARY EMOTIONSJOYGENDER AND NATIONALITY
DIFFERENCESLAUGHINGFear and Other Emotions· FEAR· STRANGER DISTRESS·
INTERACTIONS· OTHER EMOTIONSFear is the second predominant primary emotion. Fear
of strangers emerges around the same time that infants begin to show positive emotion to

2. familiar people. According to Sroufe (1996), at around three months, infants begin to be
wary when they are exposed to new situations because they have difficulty assimilating and
comprehending the unfamiliar. From around seven months, this wariness turns into
outright fear and distress.Knowledge Check1Question 1Please select the two correct
statements that refute the genetic-maturational perspective’s argument that biological
factors determine how children react and regulate their emotions. The rate of infant
smiling is related to the rate of caregiver stimulation. Babies begin to smile at 46 weeks
from conception, whether they were born premature or full-term. Stranger distress is not
universal since it does not occur in cultures in which caregiving is shared among multiple
relatives. From about eight weeks, babies begin to look a lot at the mouth and respond
to smiles.I don’t knowOne attemptSubmit answerYou answered 0 out of 0 correctly. Asking
up to 1.Secondary EmotionsSecondary emotions function to identify and coordinate the role
of the individual’s responsibility in a situation that involves other factors and/or people.
Secondary emotion are self-conscious emotions that describe the individual’s perception of
their relatively superior or inferior position. Secondary emotions emerge from around the
second year (Saarni et al., 2006).Emotional reactions differ from child to child, and are a
consequence of temperament and environmental factors – particularly parental modeling.
High negative emotionality results in more adjustment difficulties, depression and
behavioral problems, while children with positive emotionality have high self-esteem, social
competence and less adjustment issues.PRIDE AND SHAMEGUILTJEALOUSYJEALOUSY OF
PARENTAL ATTENTIONIdentifying Emotions in OthersInfants initially learn to interpret
other’s emotions by observing caregiver facial expressions. Research suggests that babies
recognize caregiver joy before they are able to recognize anger – similar to how babies first
express joy and only later express anger (Izard et al., 1995). As children get older, they more
accurately discern between genuine and inauthentic smiles (Del Giudice & Colle,
2007).Experiences Impact EmotionsChildren’s early experiences impact their ability to
recognize emotions. For example, children who have experienced high levels of threat and
hostility recognize anger more quickly and sadness more slowly than other children (Pollak
& Sinha, 2002). Children from cultures that value group harmony and focus on other’s
feelings, such as China and Mexico, are more capable than Australian and U.S. children at
recognizing other’s emotions (Cole & Tan, 2007).Emotional Regulation· SELF-REGULATION·
EMOTIONAL RULES· CONFLICTING EMOTIONS· FAMILY ROLEAn important facet of
development is learning to regulate and take control of one’s emotional expression. Infants
learn that sucking their thumbs is soothing, while older children learn to avoid frightening
situations and distract themselves. As children grow up, increased self-control modulates
the intensity, frequency and variability of their emotions, and predicts later adjustment (Fox
& Calkins, 2003; Saarni et al., 2006). For example, it is normal for two-year olds to have
tantrums, but tantrums in older children and adults are not considered normal or
healthy.Watch this video on early childhood self-regulation.Knowledge Check1Question
1Caregivers have the following two responsibilities: To help children understand and
speak about their own and other’s emotions. To make their babies smile as often as
possible because this shows that the baby is happy and healthy. To ensure children never
experience negative emotions like jealousy, shame and fear, because negative emotions

3. impact development. To ensure that parent-child and parent-parent relationships in the
home are supportive and cooperative.I don’t knowOne attemptSubmit answerYou
answered 0 out of 0 correctly. Asking up to 1.AttachmentAttachment is the emotional bond
between the infant and caregivers, and is foundational to the rest of the child’s
development. Psychoanalytic and learning theory associate attachment with the satisfaction
of the infant’s primary drive of hunger. The cognitive developmental view proposes that
attachment teaches infants that others continue to exist even when they cannot be seen. The
ethological perspective describes that children and caregivers are biologically programmed
to respond to each other and develop a mutual attachment.Attachment processes continue
into adolescence, and determine how adolescents gain independence, form relationships
with others and perceive the world. Furthermore, these patterns are generally repeated
with our own children when we become parents. This is referred to as intergenerational
continuity.Some people are resilient enough to overcome dysfunctional attachments, and
develop secure, satisfying relationships with their spouses and children. These people are
referred to as earned secure individuals (Paley, Cox, Burchinal, & Payne, 1999). Professional
help can improve parent-child relationships.SECURE BASESECURE
ATTACHMENTINSECURE-AVOIDANT ATTACHMENTINSECURE-RESISTANT
ATTACHMENTINSECURE-DISORGANIZED ATTACHMENTImpact Of Attachment on
Development· ATTACHMENT· ATTACHMENT AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR· SENSE OF SELF·
DAYCAREHow do you think neural plasticity and the quality of attachment relate?Research
shows that attachments to both mother and father are equally important (Parke & Buriel,
2006). Secure attachment, caregiver responsiveness and good parent-child relationships
are related to more complex cognitive development and higher academic achievement and
participation (Jacobsen & Hofmann 1997; Stams, Juffer, & van Ijzendoorn, 2002).Knowledge
Check1Question 1Please select the correct statement. Children with insecure-disorganized
attachment are probably angry with their caregiver’s inconsistent
availability. Caregivers who are unavailable, inconsistent, intrusive, or frightening tend to
create attachment dysfunction in children. Children who are sent to daycare are more
prone to attachment disorders. Children who have attachment disorders will probably
never be able to form healthy relationships.I don’t knowOne attemptSubmit answerYou
answered 0 out of 0 correctly. Asking up to 1.Language and CommunicationWhile humans
are genetically predisposed to learning language, social support is crucial when children
learn to speak and communicate. Language is a complex system of rules that allows us to
send messages to one another through words, symbols and behaviors. We use it to relate,
express ourselves, influence, inform others and achieve goals. Language is important to
teach children how to regulate their emotions, control their actions and organize their
thinking (Parke & Gauvain, 2009).Communication competence allows children to express
themselves in meaningful and culturally relevant ways. Communication is a two-way
process, whereby productive language refers to the production of communication, while
receptive language refers to understanding other’s
communication.PHONOLOGYSEMANTICSGRAMMARPRAGMATICSLanguage Development
TheoriesWe will explore each of these components in more detail, but first, we will discuss
the theories of language development.· LEARNING PERSPECTIVE· NATIVIST PERSPECTIVE·

4. INTERACTIONIST PERSPECTIVEThe learning perspective proposes that children learn
language through caregivers who positively reinforce infant babbling that most sounds like
speech, and because children learn through imitating and generalizing what they observe
and hear from others.Facilitating Language Development‹›· Language Acquisition Support
System (LASS)The language acquisition support system (LASS) is the environment provided
by caregivers and other people like siblings, in which children learn language (Bruner,
1983). Nonverbal games such as peekaboo have predictable patterns which may lay the
foundation for language and communication rules – for example, turn-taking. Parents and
siblings usually talk to the child throughout these games, commenting on the child’s actions
and what is occurring, and anticipating the child’s needs, thus laying the foundation for
language.Antecedents of Language· PRELINGUISTIC COMMUNICATION· RHYTHMIC
ORGANIZATION· CRYING, BABBLING, AND COOING· CULTURAL CONSISTENCIESSince
communication is more than just verbal language, prelinguistic communication such as
facial expressions, gestures and movement are important precursors (Adamson, 1995).
From three months, infants begin to respond to caregivers with smiles, movements, sounds
and gestures, from six months they begin to make pointing gestures at objects and from one
year they can follow someone else’s pointing gesture (Fogel, 1993).Semantic
DevelopmentChildren understand more than they are able to express. One-and-a-half-year
olds typically understand between 50 to100 words and begin to say their first words. Two-
year olds understand around 900 words, and six-year olds understand around 8000 words.
This increase in vocabulary is referred to as the naming explosion (Bloom, Lifter &
Broughton, 1985).Children learn object words first, probably because it is easier to
understand the relationship between the object, concept and word, than understanding
actions and abstract concepts (Gentner, 1982). Action words are more easily learnt when it
is an action the child can perform, such as running and jumping. Overextension of words
occurs when one word is used for many objects. For instance, all animals may be referred to
as cat. Underextension occurs when a word is used in a very limited way, for instance if the
word cat is used to identify only black cats.GrammarThe child’s leap from using single
words to full sentences is rapid. Children begin to communicate by using single words that
seem to communicate full ideas – for example, if a child says ‘me’ the parent may realize the
child is really saying ‘I want to do this myself’. This is referred to as a holophrase.· TWO-
YEAR OLDS· THREE-YEAR OLDSTwo-year olds begin to use telegraphic speech or two-word
sentences that contain only the words needed to convey the intended meaning – usually
nouns, adjectives and verbs. For example, ‘me play’. This also occurs in two-year olds who
use sign language. At this stage, children learn about the correct plural forms, and may
overgeneralize rules they have learned. For instance, the plural form -s may be applied to all
words: ‘mouses’ instead of ‘mice.’Learning the Social Use of LanguageSince language
functions to help us express ourselves, and influence and relate to others, it is a social
phenomenon. Pragmatics are thus crucial rules about what kind of communication is
appropriate in specific situations.Children generally begin to learn the first, second and
third rules by around the age of two (Dunn, 1988; Wellman & Lempers, 1977). Miller and
Sperry (1987) add that children need to learn how, where, when and to whom to express
negative feelings such as anger and sadness. As with other social skills, children learn

5. pragmatics from observation, listening, imitation and instruction.According to Glucksberg,
Kraus & Higgins (1975), children must learn the following pragmatics respectively:RULE
1RULE 2RULE 3RULE 4RULE 5RULE 6Bilingualism· BILINGUAL HOMES· NOT A
DETRIMENT· COMPETENCE IN BOTHMany children grow up learning two languages. In
some cases, children learn two languages simultaneously, where perhaps one parent speaks
to the child in one language, while the other parent speaks to the child in another language.
In other cases, languages may be learned sequentially, where the first language is learned at
home and the second at school.Knowledge Check1Question 1Which of the following
utterances is most typical of a two-year old? Apple. Mommy! Sweetie me. Mommy doesn’t
understand me.I don’t knowOne attemptSubmit answerYou answered 0 out of 0 correctly.
Asking up to 1.ConclusionIn this lesson, we covered the emotional development of children,
attachment theory and the development of language and communication in children. We
began the lesson by discussing the theoretical approaches to emotional development, and
then moved on to exploring the development of emotional expression, where we discussed
primary and secondary emotions, and emotional regulation. We then investigated how the
caregiving style impacts the quality of attachment between children and caregivers, and the
impact attachment has on child development. Thereafter, we looked at language and
communication development. We briefly explored the main language development theories,
and then looked at how language development can be facilitated. Lastly, we looked at the
components of language and how they come together to be used socially.KEY
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