Overextension
A lexical development error where children apply a word to a wider range of referents than is appropriate in adult language. Overextension shows children's active hypothesis-testing.
Real World
A toddler who has just learned the word 'dog' from their family's Labrador might point at every cow, cat, or horse in a picture book and call it a 'dog', grouping them by their shared four-legged shape.
Exam Focus
Always link overextension to a specific named theory (e.g. Piaget's schemas) to secure AO2 marks.
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