1. What three questions are important to consider when examining a language development theory? Write out each question and provide a description of the major points of all three.
There are three questions that are important to consider when examining a language development theory. The first question is: What do infants bring to the task of language learning? This refers to infants’ language abilities when they are born and how they acquire language as they age. This question is essentially the nature-nurture debate (Or the empiricist-nativist debate). The nurture side of the spectrum states that infants do not have innate language capabilities as they are born with nothing and will acquire their language as they grow and are exposed to different …show more content…
The first of these theories is Skinner’s Behaviourist Theory, which relies on operant conditioning to explain language acquisition. Skinner believed that behaviours that are rewarded will be stronger than those behaviours that are ignored or punished. In regards to language, Skinner thought that language was like any other learnable behaviour. If a parent encourages or rewards a child for speaking and using the correct grammar a child will repeat the behaviour in order to get praise. If the parents ignore incorrect speech and grammar the child will learn that that particular utterance was unacceptable and that they should not repeat it because they will not get praise. Skinner did not believe in innate language capabilities, instead he believed solely in learning through stimuli and …show more content…
Explain Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development. How does it relate to enrichment practices discussed at the end of the chapter?
Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development refers to the difference of what a child can do independently (Actual Developmental Level) and what the child can do with the assistance of a competent adult (Level of Potential Development). This illustrates what a child is currently capable of doing and what he/she will eventually be able to do on their own without any assistance.
Enrichment occurs when someone with more advanced skills (Typically an adult) helps a child so that they may build upon the child’s pre-existing skills and to further the child’s language development. This concept is directly related to Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development. An adult would apply these two theories in practice by figuring out where a child is at in terms of their language abilities and then they would assist them in more advanced activities. This would help the child advance in both their skills and in their language abilities, thus enriching the child’s language
There are three questions that are important to consider when examining a language development theory. The first question is: What do infants bring to the task of language learning? This refers to infants’ language abilities when they are born and how they acquire language as they age. This question is essentially the nature-nurture debate (Or the empiricist-nativist debate). The nurture side of the spectrum states that infants do not have innate language capabilities as they are born with nothing and will acquire their language as they grow and are exposed to different …show more content…
The first of these theories is Skinner’s Behaviourist Theory, which relies on operant conditioning to explain language acquisition. Skinner believed that behaviours that are rewarded will be stronger than those behaviours that are ignored or punished. In regards to language, Skinner thought that language was like any other learnable behaviour. If a parent encourages or rewards a child for speaking and using the correct grammar a child will repeat the behaviour in order to get praise. If the parents ignore incorrect speech and grammar the child will learn that that particular utterance was unacceptable and that they should not repeat it because they will not get praise. Skinner did not believe in innate language capabilities, instead he believed solely in learning through stimuli and …show more content…
Explain Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development. How does it relate to enrichment practices discussed at the end of the chapter?
Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development refers to the difference of what a child can do independently (Actual Developmental Level) and what the child can do with the assistance of a competent adult (Level of Potential Development). This illustrates what a child is currently capable of doing and what he/she will eventually be able to do on their own without any assistance.
Enrichment occurs when someone with more advanced skills (Typically an adult) helps a child so that they may build upon the child’s pre-existing skills and to further the child’s language development. This concept is directly related to Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development. An adult would apply these two theories in practice by figuring out where a child is at in terms of their language abilities and then they would assist them in more advanced activities. This would help the child advance in both their skills and in their language abilities, thus enriching the child’s language