Question 1

In studies of the role of feedback, researchers report that:
A) parents frequently provide negative evidence when children produce grammatical errors.
B) children more readily produce erroneous utterances when they do not have negative feedback.
C) it is unclear how children process parental behavior as a guide to acquiring accurate grammatical language.
D) parents' patterns of using appropriate feedback are consistent and predictable.

Accepted Answer

Parents frequently provide negative evidence when children produce grammatical errors.

Question 2

Chomsky's view that mothers model language with errors and thus children have errorful language is:
A) challenged by child language researchers.
B) the basis for the phonological bootstrapping hyptothesis.
C) the basis for the prosodic bootstrapping hypothesis.
D) None of these answers are true.

Accepted Answer

Chomsky's view that mothers model language with errors and thus children have errorful language has been challenged by child language researchers. There is evidence that children are able to distinguish between correct and incorrect language and are influenced by the input they receive.

Question 3

That children who know grammatical rules is evidenced in how they:
A) misuse overregulation.
B) apply word order to novel utterances.
C) respond to utterances with action.
D) apply lexical rules to grammar.

Accepted Answer

Applying word order to novel utterances demonstrates an understanding of grammatical rules. Misusing overregulation (A) actually suggests a lack of understanding of grammatical rules. Responding to utterances with action (C) is not necessarily indicative of knowledge of grammatical rules. Applying lexical rules to grammar (D) is not a clear indicator of grammatical knowledge.

Question 4

Research on children's early language development and grammatical rules indicates that children:
A) utilize lexically based rules on how to understand language.
B) process language in terms of a semantically based grammar system of knowledge.
C) apply an underlying knowledge of syntax to comprehension of language.
D) All of these answers are true.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Research on children's early language development and...

Question 5

The view that children's grammar is not "adult like" is known as:
A) lexically-based grammar.
B) inflection-based grammar.
C) syntactically-based grammar.
D) semantically-based grammar.

Accepted Answer

The view that children's grammar is not "adult like" is known as semantically-based grammar.

Question 6

Berko (1958) used his "wub test," to give children nonsense words and:
A) asked them to supply blank words.
B) examined patterns in children's productivity.
C) concluded that their underlying linguistic knowledge equaled aspects of their expressive language.
D) found that 3 year olds cannot use nonsense words in connected speech.

Accepted Answer

Berko's "wub test" was designed to examine patterns in children's productivity with language, specifically how they apply grammatical rules to nonsense words, indicating their understanding of language structure.

Question 7

Evidence that children develop an underlying system of rules for grammar is:
A) demonstrated by their use of noun - verb phrases in two word utterances.
B) found in their rote memory of multiword utterances.
C) seen in use of word combinations, errors made in applying rules and in experiments on using new word combinations.
D) indicated by the variety of word combinations they use.

Accepted Answer

The use of word combinations, errors made in applying rules, and experiments on using new word combinations are all indicative of the development of an underlying system of grammatical rules. The other options do not specifically relate to the development of such a system.

Question 8

The connectionist model of explaining language development processes is based on:
A) the view that computer programs can be used to research and simulate language-learning processes in the human brain.
B) Chomskyan views of nativism and the learning mechanism.
C) the understanding that language is a system of rules that represent categories of abstract knowledge.
D) the view that language is not innate to individuals.

Accepted Answer

The connectionist model is based on the idea that computer programs can be used to simulate language-learning processes in the human brain. This model emphasizes the importance of neural networks and connections between them in language acquisition.

Question 9

Children between 12 and 14 months of age comprehend meaning in word combinations according to:
A) word order only.
B) word order and syntax.
C) word order, syntax and MLU.
D) word order, syntax, and grammatical morphemes.

Accepted Answer

Children between 12 and 14 months of age begin to understand meaning in word combinations through word order, syntax, and grammatical morphemes. This developmental stage marks the emergence of recognizing patterns and rules in language beyond simple word order, incorporating more complex aspects of grammar.

Question 10

Questions regarding co-reference relations in children's language and the Universal Grammar approach:
A) are based on difficulties children have in interpreting complex sentences.
B) relate to the disagreement on the innateness of language in all children and evidence of problems in acquiring co-reference.
C) refers to research on how children develop an underlying grammar.
D) concerns strategies children use to interpret adult level utterances.

Accepted Answer

Co-reference relations in children's language and the Universal Grammar approach relate to the disagreement on whether language is innate in all children or whether there is evidence of problems in acquiring co-reference. This is because co-reference relations refer to the ability to understand and use pronouns and other referential expressions correctly, which is seen as an important aspect of language acquisition and the development of an underlying grammar. Therefore, understanding co-reference relations can shed light on the nature of language acquisition and the role of innate knowledge in this process.

Question 11

Children's comprehension of structured speech is:
A) measured in terms of MLU by most researchers.
B) acquired on the same continuum as the production of speech.
C) difficult to measure because of the nature of children's response to stimuli.
D) examined with a broad range of measurements.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Children's comprehension of structured speech is:
A) measured...

Question 12

Evidence that very young children understand grammar:
A) indicates that they do not comprehend two-word utterances until after they start expressing such utterances.
B) indicates that before they produce two-word utterances, they can comprehend the meaning of two-word utterances.
C) cannot be measured
D) None of these statements are true.

Accepted Answer

Evidence suggests that very young children have some understanding of grammar before they start producing two-word utterances. This is based on studies that show they can distinguish between grammatically correct and incorrect sentences before they can produce those sentences themselves. Therefore, option B is the best answer. Options A and D are incorrect statements, and option C is incorrect as evidence can be measured through scientific studies.

Question 13

The continuity assumption is based on the view that:
A) the endpoint in grammatical development occurs when the young child acquires adult-like language.
B) their children are innately equipped with grammatical categories at birth and do not develop in stages.
C) there is no endpoint in the child's development of grammatical language.
D) innate grammatical knowledge combines with stages of cognitive development to form the basis for child language learning.

Accepted Answer

The continuity assumption posits that there is no distinct endpoint in the development of grammatical language in children, suggesting that language acquisition is a continuous process rather than one that reaches a specific point of completion.

Question 14

Researchers agree that 2-year old children have an understanding of
A) nouns and verbs.
B) an abstract noun and verb category.
C) an abstract noun category, but they disagree on how the children understand verbs.
D) an abstract verb category, but they disagree on how the children understand nouns.

Accepted Answer

Researchers generally agree that 2-year-old children have an understanding of an abstract noun category, but there is less consensus on how they understand verbs, as verbs can be more complex and context-dependent.

Question 15

The major interest in the subject of "nature or nurture" derives from:
A) psychologists' questions regarding babies' ability to talk.
B) discussions concerning children's general cognitive processing.
C) interest in how children acquire grammatical knowledge.
D) studies of animal's communicative behavior.

Accepted Answer

The major interest in the subject of "nature or nurture" derives from discussions concerning children's general cognitive processing.

Question 16

Children's use of a variety of response strategies to speech:
A) demonstrates the child's knowledge of sentence structure and ability to apply the knowledge to his or her understanding.
B) indicates that the child only partially understand what is said to them.
C) demonstrates the child's high level of comprehension.
D) indicates how the child comprehends passive sentence structures.

Accepted Answer

Children's use of various response strategies to speech demonstrates their understanding of sentence structure and ability to apply it. This indicates a high level of comprehension.

Question 17

Pinker (1984, 1989) suggests that children:
A) have an innate understanding of language.
B) know that agents of action are likely to be objects.
C) innately have the categories of nouns and verbs.
D) that recipients of actions are likely to be subjects of sentences.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Pinker (1984, 1989) suggests that children:
A) have...

Question 18

Most children acquire multiword utterances by:
A) using the tune, or holistic approach in which they combine whole chunks of language into an utterance.
B) using an analytical approach, in which they break speech down into smaller units and then learn to combine them.
C) a combination of the tune approach and the analytical approach.
D) All of these answers are true.

Accepted Answer

Children acquire multiword utterances through a variety of methods, including the tune or holistic approach, the analytical approach, and a combination of both. Each child may use different strategies at different times or in different contexts, making all of these answers correct.

Question 19

Studies of the relationship of grammatical development to cognitive development indicate that:
A) the acquisition of grammar is closely associated with levels of symbolic play.
B) children who use longer utterances are more cognitively advanced.
C) general cognitive development processes are closely associated with grammatical development.
D) there is little correlation between grammatical development and cognitive development.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that there is a strong relationship between general cognitive development processes and the development of grammar. As a child's thinking becomes more complex, their grammatical abilities also improve. However, it is important to note that grammatical development is not the only marker of cognitive development and there are other factors that contribute to overall cognitive ability such as memory, attention, and problem-solving skills.

Question 20

Mean length of utterance (MLU) is a useful tool to:
A) identify the nature of a child's grammar.
B) identify the child's mean use of morphemes.
C) predict the level of complexity in structures after acquiring the stage of 3.0.
D) measure the level of production of language up to an MLU of 3.0.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Mean length of utterance (MLU) is a...

Quiz 6: The Development of Syntax and Morphology: Learning the Structure of Language

In studies of the role of feedback, researchers report that:

Chomsky's view that mothers model language with errors and thus children have errorful language is:

That children who know grammatical rules is evidenced in how they:

Research on children's early language development and grammatical rules indicates that children:

The view that children's grammar is not "adult like" is known as:

Berko (1958) used his "wub test," to give children nonsense words and:

Evidence that children develop an underlying system of rules for grammar is:

The connectionist model of explaining language development processes is based on:

Children between 12 and 14 months of age comprehend meaning in word combinations according to:

Questions regarding co-reference relations in children's language and the Universal Grammar approach:

Children's comprehension of structured speech is:

Evidence that very young children understand grammar:

The continuity assumption is based on the view that:

Researchers agree that 2-year old children have an understanding of

The major interest in the subject of "nature or nurture" derives from:

Children's use of a variety of response strategies to speech:

Pinker (1984, 1989) suggests that children:

Most children acquire multiword utterances by:

Studies of the relationship of grammatical development to cognitive development indicate that:

Mean length of utterance (MLU) is a useful tool to: