Theories (Models) of Language Learning
Non-standardized tests
Prelinguistic Behavior
Intentional Communication: Content, Form, Use
Standardized Tests
100

What is a model?

A way to represent how something is constituted or works

100

T/F: Younger children (ages 2-3) produce less complex language when engaged in play.

False! They produce MORE complex language when engaged in play.

100

What are the precursors of content, form, and use? (think broad, not specific examples)

Content: understanding objects and actions

Form: producing sounds/babbling

Use: interpersonal interaction

100

What are the three objectives in describing a language disorder?

1. Is there a problem?

2. If there is a problem, what does it look like?

3. If there is a problem, what is the best way to facilitate change?

100

Standardized testing provides a comparison with a _________ __________.

normative population

200

What is the categorical model?

Language disorders are classified with reference to a specific category into which the child is placed - popular in the 60's and 70's. Child's language disorder is described with reference to the expectations of the category to which they were assigned.

200

What is the minimum amount of utterances needed to calculate a reliable MLU?

50

200

What are precursors we are looking for in a child regarding cognitive ability?

awareness of objects - functions, attributes, relationships, problem-solving

200

What are the two types of testing, and what information are we gathering (in a general sense) by testing with each?

Standardized testing provides information about how a child differs from their peers

Naturalistic sampling/non-standardized testing provides information about how a child communicates in most representative contexts.

200

T/F: Equivalent scores are an easily understood metric in discussions with teachers and parents, with their shortcoming being that they are estimates and therefore not appropriate for deciding whether a child has a significant deficit.

True!

300

What is the specific disabilities model?

It attempts to profile each child's weaknesses - underlying vulnerabilities are studied.

300

SURPRISE REGAN LOVES YOU

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE = FREE (except bubble tea)

300

What are precursors we are looking for in a child regarding sensorimotor ability?

perception - visual, auditory; movement, coordination, discrimination

300

What is a maintaining factor?

A behavior or system of behavior that affects communication performance (i.e. thumb sucking, although they can be cognitive, sensorimotor, or psychosocial)

300

What is a stanine?

A stanine score is a way to scale scores on a nine-point scale. It can be used to convert any test score to a single-digit score.
400

What is the emergentism model?

The study of self-organized, emerging patterns of complex systems. Focuses on various language abilities of the child, taking contextual information into account.

400

Name three elements of a successful collection of a representative language sample.

Don't ask for specific responses, follow the child's lead, don't be afraid of silences, observe the child in a variety of different contexts, use materials appropriate to the child's interests and cognitive level

400

What are precursors we are looking for in a child regarding psychosocial ability?

attempts at regulating the environment; reciprocal behaviors, caregiver responsiveness

400

What are the three subtypes of maintaining factors?

sensory-motor, psychosocial/emotional, cognitive

400

To measure real progress in intervention, we would want the ____-____________ _____ to move above the confidence interval for the pretest.

post-intervention score
500

What is the developmental model?

Language disorders are described with reference to current language functioning. Content, Form, Use = intentional communication. Assumes that the best approach to the description of a disorder is with reference to knowledge about the typical hierarchy of language development.

500

Name three relevant factors to take into account when determining a child's prognosis.

Age, social environment (e.g. family involvement), personality and temperament, disordered behavioral systems, severity of communication deficit, previous intervention attempts

500

Name two specific precursors for each of the three categories of content, form, and use.

Precursors of CONTENT: object identity and search, action on an object, object-to-object relations

Precursors of FORM: Imitation, approximating adult linguistic forms, nonconventional interactions (consistent phonetic forms even if not the adult form of the same word; "wa-wa" for water)

Precursors of USE: Interpersonal behavior, making reference, regulating others' behavior

500

Name the first 9 content categories!

Existence, Nonexistence, Recurrence, Denial, Possession, Locative action, Rejection, Attribution, Action


500

What is a confidence interval?

A confidence interval is the mean of your estimate plus and minus the variation in that estimate. This is the range of values you expect your estimate to fall between if you redo your test, within a certain level of confidence.
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