Psychology (Piaget, Skinner, Bandura and Pavlov - Cognitive Development for Language) Flashcards
What does Piaget say?
Piaget would explain development of language as a gradual stage process.
Parents would try to establish and develop their speech by starting with concrete, simple things, (like baby talk - talking about food - the parent physically shows what he means) and gradually develop their speech as their thinking becomes more abstract.
Piaget argues that there is an “inherent” capability of a child’s brain to adapt to stimulation and construct knowledge about a language through assimilation (using current schemas to interpret the world because children have this egocentric view of the world e.g. on what food other people like).
What does Pavlov say?
They all use the component of nurture to develop cognitively (Creating an SR Bond in given situations like: When someone gives you a gift, the response is to answer with a “thank you” or when you hear someone speak another language you might pick some up)
What does Skinner say?
Operant conditioning says that children learn language through reinforcement and punishment, O Connor et al. argues that real life experiences and exposures directly or indirectly shaped behaviour, so their attachments can be learned. (ATTACHMENT)
Skinners theory is based on the principles of operant conditioning, reinforcement and punishment. Skinners principles can be used in a educational, teaching aspect as language can be learned through the use of demonstrations of objects for example, which acts as a trigger to elicit the desired correct behavioural language responses.
Skinner also explains that rewards are needed to encourage the desired language response to occur again such as food. This can be understood logically in the context of development in babies because it can be compared with the needs such as comfort and nourishment using basic communication such as “milk” to express their needs for survival.
When children make of use of incorrect language, they get punished (positively most of the time) in order to decrease the likelihood of it happening again. An example of this would be saying “mummy” to your dad and your dad positively punishing you by answering you with “no” reinforcing the occurance of correct language use.
Skinner suggested the use of positive reinforcement which is where you praise children who are using the correct language. Chomsky however, argued that we have an innate, hard-wired LAD (Language Acquisition device) which aids us in language learning. This means that children can learn language without the use of reinforcement or stimuli to trigger language.
What does Bandura say?
(Observing someone getting hurt and picking up a cuss word of the individual)
