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The onset of linguistic understanding

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 October 2015

Claire M. Fletcher-Flinn  and
Catherine J. McCormack
Claire M. Fletcher-Flinn*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Auckland
Catherine J. McCormack
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Auckland
*
Department of Psychology, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand, E-mail: cm.fletcher-flinn@auckland.ac.nz
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Abstract

It is generally accepted that word comprehension emerges between 8 to 10 months of age and that speech production occurs several months later. In contrast, sign production appears earlier than its counterpart in speech and, by inference, suggests an earlier onset for comprehension. Most studies examining comprehension have tended to use older infants and have reported measures that may overestimate when words first are understood.This study examined the comprehension abilities of 33 infants between the ages of 5 and 11 months, using a parental diary-keeping method.The results support an early onset of comprehension within the context of common social routines and converge with a growing body of data on the cognitive precocity of infants.

Keywords

Early lexical categoriesinfant cognitive developmentlanguage comprehensionspeech production
Type
Research Article
Information
The Educational and Developmental Psychologist , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , 2000 , pp. 110 - 123
Copyright
Copyright © Australian Psychological Society 2000

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