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.
What do infants bring to the task of language learning?
There are differing views on this phenomenon known as the nature versus nurture debate. Theorists that agree with the nature perspective believe that infants are born with the capabilities to learn a language whereas nurture theorists believe that infants' experiences within their environment build such capabilities. However, many agree that both theories have some truth to them in different instances and have come to some middle ground on this debate.
What mechanisms drive language acquisition? Language …show more content…
The Behaviorist perspective is that when language is rewarded as a positive behavior, it is continued and when it is ignored or punished it will be discontinued by the child. For example, when 1 year old Tom wants to be lifted by his mother and says 'mama' he was praised and picked up quickly but when he goes to her with his arms lifted high she takes longer to pick him up, Tom will learn that saying 'mama' gets his mother's attention faster and in turn will continue to say 'mama'. The social- interactionist perspective differs whereby it entails the idea that language is developed through active social communication between children and more knowledgeable individuals; this also drives their intellectual abilities. In the early stages of a child's life, language and intellect are seen as an interconnected process that eventually branch off into separate processes as a child develops. The cognitive theory is similar to the social-interactionist theory in that children play an active role in their learning process. However, cognition is believed to be developed before language which meant that language doesn't have an affect on a child's thought
What do infants bring to the task of language learning?
There are differing views on this phenomenon known as the nature versus nurture debate. Theorists that agree with the nature perspective believe that infants are born with the capabilities to learn a language whereas nurture theorists believe that infants' experiences within their environment build such capabilities. However, many agree that both theories have some truth to them in different instances and have come to some middle ground on this debate.
What mechanisms drive language acquisition? Language …show more content…
The Behaviorist perspective is that when language is rewarded as a positive behavior, it is continued and when it is ignored or punished it will be discontinued by the child. For example, when 1 year old Tom wants to be lifted by his mother and says 'mama' he was praised and picked up quickly but when he goes to her with his arms lifted high she takes longer to pick him up, Tom will learn that saying 'mama' gets his mother's attention faster and in turn will continue to say 'mama'. The social- interactionist perspective differs whereby it entails the idea that language is developed through active social communication between children and more knowledgeable individuals; this also drives their intellectual abilities. In the early stages of a child's life, language and intellect are seen as an interconnected process that eventually branch off into separate processes as a child develops. The cognitive theory is similar to the social-interactionist theory in that children play an active role in their learning process. However, cognition is believed to be developed before language which meant that language doesn't have an affect on a child's thought