Theories of Language Development

Question 0

Nurturists

Answer 0

believe infants learn language through experience

Question 1

Naturists

Answer 1

believe infants have innate capabilities that allow them to acquire language

Question 2

Interactionists

Answer 2

believe that both nature and nurture has an influence on acquisition of language

Question 3

Behaviorists

Answer 3

Pavlov and Skinner
Nurture- Inspired

“Blank Slate Theory”

Domain General

Contributed stimulus to response to shape correct response/behavior, normal language acquisition, imitation, prompting and cueing and the desire for infants to be rewarded or pleasured

Question 4

Pavlov

Answer 4

formed association between stimulus and response

coined Classical Conditioning (Early 1900’s)

Question 5

Skinner

Answer 5

developed Pavlov’s theory into behavior shaping; believed language is like any other human behavior and DOES NOT reflect any special or innate endowment
coined Operant Conditioning (1950’s), Shaping though reinforcement and punishment
believed speech happens when a child’s vocals are rewarded and shaped through imitation that gradually and systematically chains small pieces together —-NOT SATISFACTORY because of a child’s ability of novel language that was neither modeled or rewarded

Links Applied Behavior Analysis—-> used in Autism

Question 6

Social Interactionist/Constructivist Theory

Answer 6

Vygotsky and Bruner
Nurture- inspired but leaned towards Interactionist

Contributed infants basic cognitive ability, ZPD, interaction/ social interest, Scaffolding, Joint referencing, input in respect to child’s limitations of ZPD with simple, slow speech or words in conversation

Question 7

Vygotsky

Answer 7

Russian who died at very young age (1934)
Communism impacted his theory
DOMAIN GENERAL
Nurture- inspired but leaned towards interactionist
believed language was socially constructive and culturally influenced

developed Zone of Proximal Development

Question 8

Bruner

Answer 8

theory was developed similarly to Vygotsky’s but made it DOMAIN SPECIFIC

developed Scaffolding, Joint Referencing

Question 9

Scaffolding

Answer 9

cognitive support that an adult or more able peer can give to a child to aid in learning

Question 10

Joint Referencing

Answer 10

social interaction that aids in referencing environment in both normal and atypical development

Question 11

Cognitive Theory (Constructivism)

Answer 11

Piaget and neo-Piagetians
Interaction-inspired

Contributed relating language problems with cognitive difficulties, Adaptation, activity of the learner, stages of cognitive development, evaluation of age appropriate play for language, prelinguistic and cognitive pieces of language,

“developmental appropriateness”

What leads to talking?

Question 12

Piaget Stage of Cognitive Development Theory and neo- Piagetians

Answer 12

believed that children actively learn from their environment and process new experiences through Adaptation and schemas (two processes: Assimilation and Accommodation)

observed a small group of children and noted how they changed

1930’s
Interactionist
“genetic epistemologist”

developed the Stages of Cognitive Development

Question 13

Stages of Cognitive Development

Answer 13

One can not be surpassed

                                                                   -----------------------------
                                              Formal Operations  age 11-15
                                           ---------------------
                             Concrete Operations age 7-11
               -------------------
             Pre-operational age 2-7 -------------- Sensorimotor age 0-2

Question 14

Sensorimotor Stage

Answer 14

Piaget’s first stage of cognitive development
Infant uses senses and motor abilities to interact with objects in the environment
Object permanence
The knowledge that an object exists even when it is not in sight

Question 15

Preoperartional Stage

Answer 15

Second stage of cognitive development
Child uses language as a means of exploring the world
Egocentrism
Inability to see the world through anyone else’s eyes
Conservation Errors
Do not understand that changing the appearance of an object does not change the object’s nature

Question 16

Concrete Operations

Answer 16

Capable of conservation and reversible thinking
Begins to think more logically about beliefs
Concrete concepts
Are about objects, written rules, and real things

Question 17

Formal Operations

Answer 17

Adolescent becomes capable of abstract thinking

Question 18

Universal Grammar Theory

Answer 18

Chompsky
Nature-inspired

Contributes language acquisition device, acknowledges the importance of general linguistic input that helps language unfold, Psycholinguistic Research of NLD

Question 19

Chompsky

Answer 19

1960’s linguist

believes in innate skills

Question 20

Sign Theory

Answer 20

Oller’s (Dad and son)
Interactionists
“How does this happen” theory
Contributes pragmatic mapping

Icons- collection of percept; fuzzy concepts
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Index- recognition that connects icons to outside world; icons become more refined
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Sign- connection with specific conventional markers that the outside world understands

Question 21

Oller’s (Dad and Son)

Answer 21

Early 1990’s
Biological Perspective
believe infants’ primary task is to find the boundaries of the world through sound streams/ words; to understand the physical world through acoustic signal