Which term describes a child's word meaning that is too narrowly defined?

Which term describes a child's word meaning that is too narrowly defined?

• A. Underextension
• B. Schema
• C. Cognates
• D. Diagnostic Assessment

Answer: (A)

Underextension is when a child uses a word with a meaning that is more narrow than what adults would use. For example, a child might call their family dog “dog” but not extend the word to other dogs, or call only their own bottle “juice” while other juices aren’t labeled that way. This reflects how early vocabulary is still being mapped onto the world and shows a limited semantic scope as the child learns to categorize objects and events. The other terms don’t describe this pattern. A schema is a mental framework for organizing knowledge, not specifically about how a child’s word meanings are limited. Cognates are words in different languages that look alike and share meaning, which is about cross-language relationships rather than narrow word use. Diagnostic assessment is a type of evaluation used to identify strengths and weaknesses, not a description of a child’s word meaning.

Underextension is when a child uses a word with a meaning that is more narrow than what adults would use. For example, a child might call their family dog “dog” but not extend the word to other dogs, or call only their own bottle “juice” while other juices aren’t labeled that way. This reflects how early vocabulary is still being mapped onto the world and shows a limited semantic scope as the child learns to categorize objects and events.

The other terms don’t describe this pattern. A schema is a mental framework for organizing knowledge, not specifically about how a child’s word meanings are limited. Cognates are words in different languages that look alike and share meaning, which is about cross-language relationships rather than narrow word use. Diagnostic assessment is a type of evaluation used to identify strengths and weaknesses, not a description of a child’s word meaning.