LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT 2026 FINAL PAPER
REVIEW QUESTIONS ANSWERS BUNDLED
PRACTICE COLLECTION
◉ pragmatics.
Answer: study of the rules of language used in context, the social use
of language: communication intent, conversation, social conventions
◉ Spelt (1948) pre-birth study.
Answer: thought fetuses could be taught to kick in response to
vibration
◉ fetuses' perceptions by week 28.
Answer: the fetus can hear outside noises, mother's heartbeat,
voices, coughing, etc.
◉ DeCasper lab (1994) pre-birth study.
Answer: mothers read rhymes to fetuses and fetuses responded
differently to new rhymes
◉ Fifer & Moon (1989) pre-birth study.
,Answer: tested if fetuses' heart-rates go down when they hear
something new (as newborns' do) and found this is also true for
fetuses: the heart-rate would go down, then back up to normal
◉ pre-birth study results.
Answer: unborn babies (fetuses) can hear us, and can detect
patterns in language or speech and are somewhat capable of recall
◉ consonant sounds.
Answer: about 100 world-wide and 45 in English
◉ place of articulation.
Answer: where in the vocal tract you make the sound
◉ manner of articulation.
Answer: how the air flows in our mouth when we make sounds
◉ voicing.
Answer: vocal folds "on or off", vibrating or not
◉ how we make/describe sounds.
Answer: place and manner of articulation, and voicing
, ◉ phonemes.
Answer: smallest unit of sound that is psychologically perceived as a
single unit (differs between languages)
◉ phonological rules.
Answer: how we combine sounds to make (English) words
◉ methods for studying infants' perceptions.
Answer: to see if babies can detect differences in sounds: sucking
rate studies, head turning studies, looking time studies
◉ sucking rate studies.
Answer: babies (up to about 4 months) suck on a bottle with a
sound stimulus, sucking rate initially goes up, but then they get used
to it and the rate goes back down: habituation, but if the stimulus
changes the rate goes up again: dishabituation
◉ head turning studies.
Answer: babies look at something when a new sound is presented,
and eventually start to look for it when they hear that sound
◉ looking time studies.
REVIEW QUESTIONS ANSWERS BUNDLED
PRACTICE COLLECTION
◉ pragmatics.
Answer: study of the rules of language used in context, the social use
of language: communication intent, conversation, social conventions
◉ Spelt (1948) pre-birth study.
Answer: thought fetuses could be taught to kick in response to
vibration
◉ fetuses' perceptions by week 28.
Answer: the fetus can hear outside noises, mother's heartbeat,
voices, coughing, etc.
◉ DeCasper lab (1994) pre-birth study.
Answer: mothers read rhymes to fetuses and fetuses responded
differently to new rhymes
◉ Fifer & Moon (1989) pre-birth study.
,Answer: tested if fetuses' heart-rates go down when they hear
something new (as newborns' do) and found this is also true for
fetuses: the heart-rate would go down, then back up to normal
◉ pre-birth study results.
Answer: unborn babies (fetuses) can hear us, and can detect
patterns in language or speech and are somewhat capable of recall
◉ consonant sounds.
Answer: about 100 world-wide and 45 in English
◉ place of articulation.
Answer: where in the vocal tract you make the sound
◉ manner of articulation.
Answer: how the air flows in our mouth when we make sounds
◉ voicing.
Answer: vocal folds "on or off", vibrating or not
◉ how we make/describe sounds.
Answer: place and manner of articulation, and voicing
, ◉ phonemes.
Answer: smallest unit of sound that is psychologically perceived as a
single unit (differs between languages)
◉ phonological rules.
Answer: how we combine sounds to make (English) words
◉ methods for studying infants' perceptions.
Answer: to see if babies can detect differences in sounds: sucking
rate studies, head turning studies, looking time studies
◉ sucking rate studies.
Answer: babies (up to about 4 months) suck on a bottle with a
sound stimulus, sucking rate initially goes up, but then they get used
to it and the rate goes back down: habituation, but if the stimulus
changes the rate goes up again: dishabituation
◉ head turning studies.
Answer: babies look at something when a new sound is presented,
and eventually start to look for it when they hear that sound
◉ looking time studies.
