Language Acquisition Theories: Behaviorism
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Questions and Answers

Which theory of language acquisition suggests that children learn language through positive and negative reinforcement?

  • Nativism
  • Behaviorism (correct)
  • Cognitive Theory
  • Social Interactionism
  • According to Noam Chomsky, children are born with a universal ____ that facilitates language acquisition.

  • language acquisition device (LAD) (correct)
  • grammar
  • cognitive development
  • vocabulary
  • Which stage of language development, according to Jean Piaget, is characterized by language tied to concrete objects and actions?

  • Formal operational
  • Sensory-motor (correct)
  • Concrete operational
  • Pre-operational
  • What is the term used to describe the way caregivers adjust their language to support language development in children?

    <p>Child-directed speech</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe the stage of language development characterized by one-word utterances?

    <p>Holophrastic</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which theory of language acquisition suggests that language development is driven by functions and purposes, rather than structures?

    <p>Functional Approach</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe the zone where caregivers provide support to facilitate language learning?

    <p>Zone of proximal development</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which theory of language acquisition suggests that children have a critical period for language acquisition, after which it becomes more difficult to learn language?

    <p>Critical Period Hypothesis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe the idea that children make creative generalizations and overgeneralizations in language development?

    <p>Virtuous errors</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which theory of language acquisition suggests that language development is facilitated by social interaction and caregiver support?

    <p>Social Interactionism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Language Acquisition Theories

    Theory 1: Behaviorism

    • Developed by B.F. Skinner, an American psychologist
    • Language learning is a process of imitation and copying, similar to other learned behaviors
    • Children learn language through positive and negative reinforcement
    • Children are born with a "tabula rasa" (blank slate), with no innate knowledge of language
    • Evaluation limitations:
      • Children often don't simply repeat adult language
      • Children make creative generalizations and overgeneralizations ("virtuous errors")
      • Children tend to go through predictable stages of language development regardless of input
      • Children rarely receive explicit grammatical corrections

    Theory 2: Nativism (Innateness)

    • Developed by Noam Chomsky and supported by Stephen Pinker
    • Language acquisition is facilitated by an innate "language acquisition device" (LAD)
    • Children are born with a universal grammar and an innate capacity to learn language
    • Evidence from "virtuous errors" supports the idea of an LAD
    • Evaluation limitations:
      • Counterarguments from Isaac Slavkin, suggesting a more general process-based approach
      • Lack of consideration for social interaction and motivation
      • Limited empirical evidence, e.g., the case of Jim, a hearing child of deaf parents

    Theory 3: Cognitive Theory

    • Developed by Jean Piaget
    • Language development is closely tied to cognitive development
    • Children progress through stages of cognitive development, each characterized by distinct language features
    • Stages include:
      • Sensory-motor (0-2 years): language is tied to concrete objects and actions
      • Pre-operational (2-7 years): language is more symbolic, but still egocentric
      • Concrete operational (7-11 years): language becomes more logical and organized
      • Formal operational (11+ years): language is more abstract and formal
    • Evaluation:
      • Links between cognitive development and language development are not always clear-cut
      • Some children may learn language quickly despite lower cognitive abilities

    Theory 4: Social Interactionism

    • Developed by Jerome Bruner
    • Language acquisition is facilitated by social interaction and caregiver support
    • Caregivers use "child-directed speech" to support language development, including:
      • Simplification of sentence structure
      • Repetition of key words
      • Over-articulation of phonemes
    • Evaluation:
      • Cross-cultural research suggests that social interaction is not the only factor in language development
      • Some cultures, like the Kaluli tribe, do not use child-directed speech, yet children still develop language

    Theory 5: Structuralist Approach

    • Language development follows predictable stages, regardless of language or culture
    • Stages include:
      • Pre-verbal (0-1 year): crying, cooing, babbling
      • Holophrastic (1-2 years): one-word utterances
      • Two-word stage (2-3 years): early grammar and syntax emerge
      • Telegraphic stage (2-3 years): omission of grammatical words, use of lexical words
      • Post-telegraphic stage (3+ years): more complex language emerges

    Theory 6: Functional Approach

    • Developed by Michael Halliday
    • Language development is driven by functions and purposes, rather than structures
    • Seven functions of language:
      • Instrumental (expressing needs)
      • Regulatory (directing others)
      • Interactional (establishing relationships)
      • Personal (expressing tastes and opinions)
      • Heuristic (asking questions)
      • Imaginative (playing with language)
      • Representational (communicating information)

    Theory 7: Scaffolding

    • Developed by Lev Vygotsky
    • Language learning is an active, proactive process supported by caregivers ("more knowledgeable others")
    • Caregivers provide scaffolding through language to move the child through the zone of proximal development (ZPD)

    Theory 8: Critical Period Hypothesis

    • Developed by Eric Lenneberg

    • Children have a critical period for language acquisition, after which it becomes more difficult to learn language### Language Acquisition Theories

    • Behaviorism: Language acquisition through imitation and reinforcement.

    • Nativism: Innate language acquisition device, proposed by Noam Chomsky.

    • Cognitive Theory: Language acquisition as a cognitive process, influenced by social interaction and environment.

    • Social Interactionism: Language acquisition through social interaction, proposed by Jerome Bruner.

    • Structuralism: Language as a system of rules and structures, proposed by Michael Halliday.

    • Functional Theory: Language as a means of communication, proposed by John Doe.

    Language Development

    • Critical Period Hypothesis: Language acquisition is easiest during childhood, proposed by Eric Lenneberg.
    • Work Task: Children's ability to understand linguistic morphology, researched by Jean Berko Gleason.
    • IRF Structure: Initiation, Response, and Feedback in language acquisition, proposed by Sinclair and Coulthard.

    Early Language Development

    • Early Words: First words used by children are often concrete objects, researched by Catherine Nelson.
    • Semantic Development: Children's ability to attribute meaning to lexical choices, researched by Eve Clark.
    • Overextension: Using a word to refer to several related things, and Underextension: Using a word to refer to a narrow category.
    • Lexical Development: Three stages of children's lexical development, proposed by Gene Aitchison: Labeling, Packaging, and Network Building.

    Grammatical Development

    • Predictable Stages: Children learn to use inflections in a predictable order, researched by Roger Brown.
    • Stages of Grammar: Children's grammatical development, including the use of ing endings, possessive s, articles, and past tense forms.

    Pronoun, Negative, and Interrogative Development

    • Pronoun Development: Three stages of children's pronoun development, researched by Ursula Bellucci.
    • Negative Sentence Construction: Three stages of children's negative sentence development, researched by Ursula Bellucci.
    • Interrogative Development: Three stages of children's question formation, researched by Ursula Bellucci.

    Key Research and Theorists

    • Genie: A case study of a child who was isolated and lacked language acquisition, supporting Eric Lenneberg's Critical Period Hypothesis.
    • Jean Berko Gleason: Researched children's ability to understand linguistic morphology.
    • Catherine Nelson: Researched early language development and the characteristics of first words.
    • Eve Clark: Researched semantic development and children's ability to attribute meaning to lexical choices.
    • Gene Aitchison: Proposed three stages of children's lexical development.
    • Roger Brown: Researched children's grammatical development and the predictable stages of inflectional endings.
    • Ursula Bellucci: Researched children's development of pronouns, negatives, and interrogatives.

    Language Acquisition Theories

    Behaviorism

    • Developed by B.F. Skinner, an American psychologist
    • Language learning is a process of imitation and copying, similar to other learned behaviors
    • Children learn language through positive and negative reinforcement
    • Children are born with a "tabula rasa" (blank slate), with no innate knowledge of language
    • Limitations:
      • Children often don't simply repeat adult language
      • Children make creative generalizations and overgeneralizations ("virtuous errors")
      • Children tend to go through predictable stages of language development regardless of input
      • Children rarely receive explicit grammatical corrections

    Nativism (Innateness)

    • Developed by Noam Chomsky and supported by Stephen Pinker
    • Language acquisition is facilitated by an innate "language acquisition device" (LAD)
    • Children are born with a universal grammar and an innate capacity to learn language
    • Evidence from "virtuous errors" supports the idea of an LAD
    • Limitations:
      • Counterarguments from Isaac Slavkin, suggesting a more general process-based approach
      • Lack of consideration for social interaction and motivation
      • Limited empirical evidence, e.g., the case of Jim, a hearing child of deaf parents

    Cognitive Theory

    • Developed by Jean Piaget
    • Language development is closely tied to cognitive development
    • Children progress through stages of cognitive development, each characterized by distinct language features
    • Stages include:
      • Sensory-motor (0-2 years): language is tied to concrete objects and actions
      • Pre-operational (2-7 years): language is more symbolic, but still egocentric
      • Concrete operational (7-11 years): language becomes more logical and organized
      • Formal operational (11+ years): language is more abstract and formal
    • Evaluation:
      • Links between cognitive development and language development are not always clear-cut
      • Some children may learn language quickly despite lower cognitive abilities

    Social Interactionism

    • Developed by Jerome Bruner
    • Language acquisition is facilitated by social interaction and caregiver support
    • Caregivers use "child-directed speech" to support language development, including:
      • Simplification of sentence structure
      • Repetition of key words
      • Over-articulation of phonemes
    • Evaluation:
      • Cross-cultural research suggests that social interaction is not the only factor in language development
      • Some cultures, like the Kaluli tribe, do not use child-directed speech, yet children still develop language

    Structuralist Approach

    • Language development follows predictable stages, regardless of language or culture
    • Stages include:
      • Pre-verbal (0-1 year): crying, cooing, babbling
      • Holophrastic (1-2 years): one-word utterances
      • Two-word stage (2-3 years): early grammar and syntax emerge
      • Telegraphic stage (2-3 years): omission of grammatical words, use of lexical words
      • Post-telegraphic stage (3+ years): more complex language emerges

    Functional Approach

    • Developed by Michael Halliday
    • Language development is driven by functions and purposes, rather than structures
    • Seven functions of language:
      • Instrumental (expressing needs)
      • Regulatory (directing others)
      • Interactional (establishing relationships)
      • Personal (expressing tastes and opinions)
      • Heuristic (asking questions)
      • Imaginative (playing with language)
      • Representational (communicating information)

    Scaffolding

    • Developed by Lev Vygotsky
    • Language learning is an active, proactive process supported by caregivers ("more knowledgeable others")
    • Caregivers provide scaffolding through language to move the child through the zone of proximal development (ZPD)

    Critical Period Hypothesis

    • Developed by Eric Lenneberg
    • Children have a critical period for language acquisition, after which it becomes more difficult to learn language

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    Explore the language acquisition theory developed by B.F. Skinner, which suggests that language learning is a process of imitation and copying, similar to other learned behaviors.

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