Theories Flashcards
Nativist theory
Humans have an inbuilt capacity to acquire language (LAD)
Theorists: Noam Chomsky, Eric Lennenburg
Behaviourist theory
Language acquired through imitation and reinforcement
Theorists: B.F. Skinner
Social interactionist theory
Child language is developed through interaction with adults
Theorists: Jerome Brunner, Lev Vygotsky
Cognitive theory
Language acquisition is part of a wider development of understanding that develops
Theorists: Lev Vygotsky, Jean Piaget
Child Directed Speech CDS
Repetition
Reduplication
Higher pitch (intonation)
Childs name
Elliptical sentences
Nativist/Chomsky’s theory proof
Relevant study: Berko’s wug test suggesting children apply grammatical rules
Against Behaviourist/Skinner’s theory
‘fis’ phenomenon suggests children can hear and understand the correct pronunciation but can’t produce it at their stage
Social interactionist theory
Positive or negative reinforcement for their verbal behaviour, they are conditioned into using the right language
Lev Vygotsky
Followed Piaget’s work, regarding importance of the wider social environment on a child’s cognitive and language development
MKO - More Knowledgeable Other
Bruner and Vygotsky social interaction proof
CDS and active dialogue between interlocutors (participants)
Children hear 7000 utterances a day including 2000 questions
Jerome Bruner
LASS (Language Acquisition Support System)
Developed his ideas from Vygotsky that children don’t learn by being told, but by being helped to do it when they’re ready (scaffolding the tasks)
Cognitive/Piaget’s theory proof
Relevant study: Bellugi’s stages for pronouns and question formation
Piaget 3 stages
Schema: idea e.g. cat
Assimilation: calling lion cub a cat
Accommodation: new schema of a cub, being able to differentiate
Nativist argument summary
- universal grammar
- LAD sorting language into syntactical patterns
- poverty of stimulus
Behaviourist argument summary
- imitation and copying
- positive/negative reinforcement
- listening to role models
