Skinner

Question 1

What does skinner believe?

Answer 1

That we are born with a blank slate for behaviour and learn behaviour through the consequences of our actions

Question 2

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 2

-Learning through careful systematic reinforcement (used in criminal training)
-rewards or punishment must be immediate if the behaviour is to change over time through reinforcement also.
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Question 3

What is shaping?

Answer 3

Gradual steps towards a required behaviour over time- aims for desired behaviour are broken in to small goals

Question 4

What is skinners operant conditioning of language acquisition

Answer 4

-A child’s utterances are rewarded/ reinforced by adults e.g. by giving child attention immediately
-child then repeats this utterance more often
-this is operant conditioning through reinforcement
-when adults no longer reward the child is motivated to make different utterances
-this leads to improvements in grammar and pronunciation
-this is called shaping

Question 5

Positives

Answer 5

-The theory seems plausible
-there is evidence that rewarding behaviour does influence the frequency of behaviour

Question 6

Criticisms

Answer 6

-makes unlikely assumption that language acquisition will not take place without reinforcement
-Observation and imitation must occur also.
-shaping is time consuming.