Speech Acquistion Theorists (CLA)

Question 1

Nativist Theory

Answer 1

Chomsky Main points:
- 1965
- LAD (Language Acquisition Device) is something innate in a child’s brain and therefore through stimulation activates
- Children seem to acquire language in the same way, therefore are born with the innate ability to learn language.

Limitations of Chomsky:
- Theory relies on children being exposed to language but underestimates the need of interaction between carers and children.
- JIM (deaf parents) with speech development severely underdeveloped until interacting with a speech therapist in which his language rapidly improved.

Question 2

Nurture Theory

Answer 2

Skinner Main Points:
- 1957
- Children are born as blank slates, lacking a substantial template in which their behavioural abilities are based.
- Their behaviour is based on their interaction and environment.

Limitations of Skinner:
- Neglect of cognitive processes and the oversimplification of human behaviour.

Skinner emphasises the cater’s role in teaching reading. His view is that learning takes pace through POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT. Caters offer encouragement and praise children’s correct reading. NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT can also be used in conjunction with positive reinforcement to correct children’s mis-reading.

Question 3

Social Interaction Theory

Answer 3

Bruner’s main points:
- 1983
- As a child learns language to communicate and participate in the social world, they learn the linguistic code from the input given by adults
- LASS (Language Acquisition Support System) is a step further from LAD, arguing we also require interaction with others to learn. (MAKE SURE TO EXPLAIN LASS AND LAD ONCE BEFORE CONTINUING WITH ESSAY)

Limitations of Bruner:
- Does not account for the innate and biological aspects of language acquisition.

Question 4

Cognitive Theory

Answer 4

Piaget Main Points:
- Develops the idea of object permanence (things they aren’t see are still real) at 18 months of age, and a child’s vocab increases - two events are linked.

Criticism of Piaget:
- Some aspects of linguistic development appear to be separate from cognitive development and don’t develop it at the same time.

Question 5

Critical Period

Answer 5

Lenneberg main points:
-1967
- Ideal time window of brain development to acquire language
- The few years of life is crucial, and if language is not acquired at this time, the individual with never achieve a full command of language. The debate of age for the crucial period ranges from 2-13 years old.

Question 6

Social Interaction (2)

Answer 6

Clarke-Stewart’s Main Points
- Social interaction essential for communication competence
- Children whose mothers talk more have larger vocabularies
- Care-giver reinforce conversational and pragmatics - turn taking + politeness
- Adults modifying their speech when interacting with children - easier to imitate
- Re-casting - helps children construct sentences and exposes the child to an increased vocabulary
- All children develop language at the same rate - universal timeframe - hard to measure parental input

Question 7

Zone of Proximal Development

Answer 7

Vygotsky Main Points
- Between learned tasks and ideas but within limit of ability
- An actual development level and a potential