What does underextension refer to in early language development?

Study for the Illinois Early Childhood Licensure Test. Explore challenging questions and insightful explanations to strengthen your understanding and build confidence. Achieve success in your exam!

Underextension in early language development refers to the phenomenon where a child limits the application of a word to a specific instance or a narrower context than it actually represents. For example, if a child learns the word "dog" and applies it only to their pet dog while not recognizing other dogs as "dogs," they are demonstrating underextension. This reflects the child's developing understanding of language and their tendency to relate words to familiar, specific examples rather than the broader category they represent. As children grow and their vocabulary expands, they typically begin to correct these underextensions and apply words more broadly, recognizing the wider applicability of terms in different contexts.

Subscribe

Get the latest from Examzify

You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our privacy policy