Question

Which of the statements about universal phoneme sensitivity is FALSE?

A)
Infants are able to discriminate between virtually any sounds, including those from non-native languages.
B)
When presented with two different Hindi phonemes that are not present in the English language, infants from English-speaking families and adult Hindi speakers have similar discrimination abilities.
C)
As you get older, you are better able to discriminate between different sounds — especially those that are not from your native language.
D)
The head-turning procedure is used to test phonemic sensitivity in infants.

Answer 1

The false statement about universal phoneme sensitivity is that as you get older, you are better able to discriminate between different sounds, especially those that are not from your native language.

Step-by-step explanation:

Universal phoneme sensitivity refers to the ability to discriminate between different sounds, including those from non-native languages. However, there are certain statements about universal phoneme sensitivity that are false.

The false statement in this case is option C: As you get older, you are better able to discriminate between different sounds — especially those that are not from your native language. In fact, the ability to discriminate between different sounds decreases with age, and by the time infants reach about 1 year old, they can only discriminate among the phonemes used in their native language(s).