CLA theorists

Question 1

Noam Chomsky

Answer 1

nativist

• criticised skinner
• proposed the LAD
• we all have the innate ability to learn language / encode grammatical and syntactical structures
• activate linguistic development when exposed to the environment

evidence: ‘universal grammar theory’

Question 2

Steven Pinker

Answer 2

agrees with Chomsky
- LAD theory holds accuracy

evidence: deaf babies babble with their hands
- shows speech develops in absence of formal instruction or active correction

Question 3

Skinner

Answer 3

behaviourist

• believes in environmental influence
• all behaviour is a result of operant conditioning / reinforcement
• lang acquisition is learnt behaviour

child imitates parents lang structures then parents positively reinforce correct utterances

positive - acknowledging
negative - ignoring
punishment - reprimanding

Question 4

Bandura

Answer 4

social learning theory

• behaviour is observed
• kids identify a role model
  e. g. parents, sibling
• imitate behaviour based off consequence

Question 5

Bruner

Answer 5

interactionalist

• rejected the LAD
• proposed LASS
  LASS: lang acquisition support system
• interaction with care giver = key
• scaffolding

Question 6

Vygotsky

Answer 6

interactionalist/cognitive

• important for caregiver to act as MKO
• their modelling for language = scaffolding
• directs the child within the zone of proximal development

Question 7

David Chrystal

Answer 7

cognitive

• child learns in amorphous phases
• using trial and error

Question 8

Piaget

Answer 8

cognitive

• links CLA with cognitive development
• interaction with surroundings is key
• cognitive theory relates to object permanence

1st year children seem unaware of objects they can’t see
e.g. parent in another room

4 stages

1. sensorimotor 18-24months
2. preoperational toddlerhood - 7
3. concrete operational 7-11
4. formal operational adolescence

Question 9

Berko

Answer 9

Wugg Test

proof children extract generisable rules from la gauge around them

kids were prompted to complete sentences about a fictitious creature

Question 10

Berko and Brown

Answer 10

child substituted “fish” for “fis”
but only responded to “fish”
shows cognitive development came before phonetical understanding

Question 11

Catherine Garvey

Answer 11

play

in ‘pretend play’ children adopt identities, act out storylines and invent objects/settings

practices social interactions and negotiation skills - imitation?

fufills Hallidays imaginative language function

Question 12

Halliday

Answer 12

categorised functions of language

1. instrumental - needs of speaker
2. regulatory - commanding
3. interactional - to develop relationships
4. personal - express preference
5. representational - relaying info
6. heuristic - exploring environment
7. imaginative - explore imagination

Question 13

Rescorla

Answer 13

studied overextension

1. categorical =
2. analogical = connecting functions
3. mismatch = connections based off what’s normally the case

e.g.

1. apple stands for all fruit
2. scarf stands for cat
3. cot referred to as doll

Question 14

Nelson

Answer 14

language and cognitive stimulation from birth is critical

60% of a child’s first words are nouns

children whose parents overly correct them during holophrastic stage will develops slower + be more tentative with language

Question 15

Bloom

Answer 15

noun bias

he reflects on the relative frequency of nouns in CDS

5:1 in most dictionaries explains it

Question 16

Ursula Bellugi

Answer 16

researched negatives and pronouns

proposed stages

1. child used ‘no’ to start sentence
2. ‘no’ moved to inside sentence
3. correct forms achieved
4. child uses own name
5. child recognised ‘me’
6. correct forms achieved

e.g.

1. “no want it”
2. “i no want it”
3. “ i don’t want it”
4. “ella wants to play”
5. “me want to play”
6. “i want to play”

Question 17

Braine

Answer 17

pivot scheme

e.g. “allgone”

words stringed together to generate many utterances

gestalt expressions