Behaviourism

Question 1

Skinner

Answer 1

One of the earliest researchers of CLA and suggested that language is acquired through behavioural psychology and conditioning

Question 2

Positive reinforcement

Answer 2

Parents reward, praise give attention to vocalisations, and follow through on a demands and requests, so a child is more likely to repeat the same behaviour/language

Question 3

Negative reinforcement

Answer 3

Parents don’t reward or simply ignore language or behaviours they don’t want a child to vocalise or display

Question 4

Evidence supporting

Answer 4

• children imitate accent and dialect of parents and caregivers
• children learn pragmatic strategies. For example ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ are frequently negatively or positively reinforced
• children repeat language they hear in the domestic context