3.5 Communication and Language Development
- Syllabus
- 2025
- Topic
- 3.5
- Level
- —
Learning objectives
3.5A—Explain how key components of language and communication apply to behavior and mental processesExplain how key components of language and communication apply to behavior and mental processes.• Language is a shared (mutually agreed upon) system of arbitrary symbols (often expressed as and combined into phonemes, morphemes, and semantics) that are rule-governed (via grammar and syntax) and generative to produce an infinity of ideas.- Exclusion: Pragmatics of language are outside the scope of the AP Psychology Exam.3.5B—Explain how language develops in humansExplain how language develops in humans.• In language development across all cultures, people use nonverbal manual gestures (e.g., pointing) to communicate and develop formal language through specific stages (cooing, babbling, one-word stage, and telegraphic speech). People learning a language often make errors such as overgeneralization of language rules as they learn.
How Language Builds Unlimited Meaning
Language is a shared system of arbitrary symbols: a community agrees that forms stand for meanings even though the connection is not naturally fixed. The system is rule-governed and generative, so a limited set of units can produce an unlimited number of ideas.
| Component | Learning job |
|---|---|
| Phoneme | Smallest distinctive sound unit |
| Morpheme | Smallest unit carrying meaning |
| Semantics | Meaning represented by words and combinations |
| Grammar | Rules governing how language is structured |
| Syntax | Rules for arranging words into acceptable sequences |
In “cats,” speech sounds combine to form “cat,” while the added morpheme “-s” changes the meaning to more than one. Syntax then controls how that word can combine with others. Changing the arrangement can change meaning even when the same words are present.
Generative does not mean language lacks rules; the rules make new combinations interpretable. Pragmatics of language are outside the scope of the AP Psychology Exam for this objective.
How Human Language Develops
Across cultures, communication begins before formal speech. Nonverbal manual gestures such as pointing can direct another person's attention, while spoken language develops through an ordered sequence of increasingly structured forms.
| Developmental form | What the learner produces |
|---|---|
| Cooing | Early vowel-like sounds |
| Babbling | Repeated speech-like sound combinations |
| One-word stage | One word carries a larger intended message |
| Telegraphic speech | Short combinations use essential content words while omitting some smaller grammatical words |
Overgeneralization occurs when a learner applies a language rule too broadly. Saying “goed” applies the regular past-tense pattern to an irregular verb. The error is informative: it shows that the learner is generating speech from a rule, not merely repeating every form exactly as heard.
The sequence describes forms of communication, not a claim that every learner begins or leaves each stage at exactly the same time. An error can mark active rule learning rather than a complete absence of language knowledge.