Children become quite proficient speakers and comprehenders before they enter school, yet they are not always effective communicators. Characterize the communication deficits of young children, and describe the course of growth in communicative effectiveness (both in speaking and listening)

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Although preschool children and young grade-schoolers show some awareness of the needs of listeners and make some adjustments in their speech (length or speed) to accommodate needs, they show deficits in adjusting the content of their communication to meet the listener's needs. For example, Krauss and Glucksberg found that Kindergarten and Grade 1 children failed to describe critical differences between stimuli to a partner. Young children often show deficits as listeners as well. Preschool and early grade-school children often fail to recognize when a message is ambiguous or has an inconsistency in it. They are also less likely than older children to request clarification of additional information when it is needed. By eight to 10 years of age, children show considerable gains both in their ability to produce informative messages and to be active listeners.