AP Psychology Flashcards: Communication and Language Development
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 10 cards to help you master important concepts.
List the four stages of language development in chronological order.
The four stages of language development are cooing, babbling, one-word speech, and telegraphic speech.
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List the four stages of language development in chronological order.
The four stages of language development are cooing, babbling, one-word speech, and telegraphic speech.
What are phonemes and morphemes?
Phonemes and morphemes are the rule-governed symbols that form the basic components of language.
A baby is making vowel-like sounds such as "ooooh" and "ahhhh." Which stage of language development is this?
This is the cooing stage, which is the earliest stage of language development.
How does the study of language apply to psychology?
The key components of language and communication are used to explain and understand human behavior and mental processes.
What makes the symbols used in language "arbitrary"?
The symbols are arbitrary because there is no inherent connection between a symbol (a word) and the concept it represents.
Describe the one-word stage of language development.
The one-word stage is the developmental phase where a child speaks mostly in single words to convey meaning.
What is the babbling stage?
Babbling is the stage of language development following cooing where an infant spontaneously utters various sounds, often combining consonants and vowels.
Define language based on its key characteristics.
Language is a shared system of arbitrary, rule-governed symbols (like phonemes and morphemes) that is generative in nature.
A toddler points at a car and says "Go car." What stage of language development does this represent?
This represents telegraphic speech, the stage where children use two-word phrases to communicate.
What does it mean for language to be "generative"?
The generative property of language allows for an infinite number of unique sentences to be created from a finite set of symbols and rules.