Behaviorist Approach to Language Acquisition (AS5 ENG 105) PDF

**PRINCIPLES AND THEORIES OF LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND LEARNING** **(AS5 ENG 105)** **FLORES, SELENA GRACE E.** **MACAMAY, MHARDANE JEN B.** **I. Background of Behaviorism:** Behaviorism became a leading psychological approach in the early 1900s, led by key figures like John B. Watson and B.F. S...

**PRINCIPLES AND THEORIES OF LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND LEARNING** **(AS5 ENG 105)** **FLORES, SELENA GRACE E.** **MACAMAY, MHARDANE JEN B.** **I. Background of Behaviorism:** Behaviorism became a leading psychological approach in the early 1900s, led by key figures like John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner. Unlike earlier methods that focused on the mind and thoughts, behaviorists emphasized studying visible and measurable behaviors. Watson believed psychology should only deal with what can be seen and measured, ignoring mental processes. **II. Proponents of Behaviorist Theory:** ** B.F. Skinner**: What is Operant Conditioning? **Operant conditioning** is a learning method that employs rewards as reinforcement and punishments for behavior. Through operant conditioning, an association is made between a behavior and a consequence (whether negative or positive) for that behavior. **Reinforcement refers to anything that increases the likelihood that a response will occur.** **Positive** : In positive reinforcement situations, a response or behavior is strengthened by the addition of praise or a direct reward. **Negative** : In these situations, a response is strengthened by the removal of something considered unpleasant. **Punishment** **is a part of operant conditioning theory which involves the use of consequences to reduce, the likelihood of targeted and unwanted behaviors in an individual from recurring.** **Positive** : Positive punishment, sometimes called punishment by application, presents an unfavorable event or outcome to weaken the response it elicits. But in this instance, positive doesn\'t mean \'good.\' Spanking for misbehavior is an example of punishment by application. **Negative :** also known as punishment by removal, occurs when a favorable event or outcome is removed after a behavior occurs. Taking away a child\'s video game following misbehavior is an example of negative punishment. ** Ivan Pavlov** Ivan Pavlov was a Russian physiologist best known for his work on classical conditioning. One of the best-known examples of classical conditioning is Pavlov\'s classic experiments with dogs. Pavlov demonstrated salivation in dogs through a series of experiments where he paired the sound of a bell with the presentation of food. Over time, the dogs began to associate the bell with food and would start to salivate at the sound of the bell, even when no food was presented. What is Classical Conditioning? **Classical conditioning** is a type of unconscious or automatic learning. It is also a learning process that occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired together, leading to a new, learned response. - - - - - **III. Behaviorist Teaching Strategies** Scenario: A teacher wants to teach students the word "apple." Step 1: **Presentation** The teacher shows a picture of an apple to the class and says, "This is an apple." Step 2: **Repetition** The teacher repeats this multiple times, saying "apple" while pointing to the picture. Step 3: **Reinforcement** Each time a student correctly identifies the picture as an "apple," the teacher praises them, saying "Great job!" or gives them a small reward, like a sticker. Step 4: **Practice** The teacher then asks students to repeat the word "apple" when they see the picture. This could also involve showing them real apples, asking them to say the word, and rewarding them for correct responses. Step 5: **Generalization** Later, the teacher introduces other fruits and asks students to identify the apple among them, reinforcing the correct identification with praise or rewards. **IV. Behaviorist Theory on Language Learning and Acquisition Teaching Techniques:** **Reward and praise** - Reinforcing students\' correct language use with rewards like stickers, stars or verbal praise. This positive reinforcement strengthens desired behaviors. **Modelling** - Providing examples for students to imitate. The teacher models correct pronunciations, sentences structures and vocabulary for students to mimic and reproduce. **Focus on imitation** - Encouraging students to repeat and imitate the teacher\'s language examples as closely as possible. This helps form associations between sound patterns and meanings. Overall, Behaviorists believe that language develops through conditioning and reinforcement of associations between stimuli in the environment and responses. Language is seen as a set of behaviors or habits that are acquired through interaction with the social world. The American psychologist B.F. Skinner was a major proponent of the Behaviorist perspective on language development. He argued that children learn language the same way animals learn behaviors - through conditioning principles of reinforcement and punishment. References : https://www.verywellmind.com/operant-conditioning-a2-2794863 https://study.com/academy/lesson/punishments-in-psychology-definition-examples-quiz.html https://www.verywellmind.com/classical-conditioning-2794859 https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/classical-conditioning-how-it-works https://testbook.com/amp/ugc-net-commerce/behaviorist-theory