Ed knows what a horse is but has never seen nor heard of a camel. When Ed sees his first camel, he says "horsey." Ed's reaction is best explained by the process of
A) overextension.
B) babbling.
C) underextension.
D) infant-directed speech.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Overextension occurs when a child applies a word they know to a wider variety of contexts than is appropriate. In this case, Ed is using "horsey," a term he knows for a familiar animal, to refer to a camel, which is somewhat similar in appearance but a different animal. This is a classic example of overextension in language development.

Ed Knows What a Horse Is but Has Never Seen