Skip to main content

Chomsky theory of language acquisition

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7779766352028136965/5194678031660386366

Chomsky theory of language acquisition

 

 




The marvelous capacity that every individual has been the subject of investigation for centuries. The two important theories put forward in the study of first language acquisition are,

  • Behavioristic theory

  • Innate theory

The behavioristic theory has been presented by ''B.F Skinner'' in his classic work ''Verbal Behavior'' and the Innate theory given by ''Chomsky''.

Background of the theory

The behavioristic theory was first introduced in 1913 by the American psychologist ''John B. Watson''. Watson is credited with coining the term behaviorism. Watson's view was largely influenced by the research of Russian psychologist ''Ivan P. Pavlov'' during the early 1900s. The most influential version of this theory is put forward by ''B.F Skinner'' in 1957. His version of behaviorism is best known as ''Radical Behaviorism''.

Types of behavioral learning

There are two types of behavioral learning

  • Classical conditioning

  • Operant conditioning

1.Classical conditioning:

This conditioning was first described by the Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov in 1903 through his experiment on dogs. Pavlov presented dogs with food to examine their salivary response. He rang a bell just before serving the food. At first, the dog did not salivate until the food is served. However, when the bell was rung at repeated feedings the sound of the bell alone caused the dogs to salivate. Thus, in classical conditioning, an unconditioned stimulus(food) is paired with a conditioned stimulus (bell).

2.Operant conditioning:

Expanding on Watson's basic stimulus-response model, skinner developed a more comprehensive view of conditioning, known as operant conditioning. Skinner's model was based on the premise that effective language behavior consists of producing responses to the correct stimulus. When a response is followed by a reinforcer then it is conditioned to occur again. The operant condition can be summarized as

Stimulus-response-reinforcement-repetition


Reinforcement and punishment are the core ideas of operant conditioning.

1.Reinforcement:

A reinforcer is a stimulus that increases the frequency of a response it follows;

The act of following response with a reinforcer is called reinforcement.


It can be classified into the following types

  • Positive reinforcement

  • Negative reinforcement

Positive reinforcement:

It is the encouragement of the desired response by a pleasant stimulus.

For example;

If a child produces an utterance that is appropriate to the situation, the mother will be rewarded him /her with some sign of approval. This approval or reward will encourage him to repeat the same response to the same situation.

Negative reinforcement:

It is a discouragement of an undesired response by an unpleasant stimulus.

For example;

If a child produces an utterance that is inappropriate to the situation, the mother will not reward him /her. Thus, the child will not repeat the same response to the same situation.

2.Punishment:

Punishment is used to erase undesirable behaviors by presenting a distressing stimulus when the behavior occurs

Reinforcement can come from different sources. The mother is the primary source of reinforcement because she has to take care of the child almost all the time

Final thought:

The behavioristic theory has also been criticized by many critics. Chomsky launched the bitterest attack on him. He considers skinner's theory inappropriate for explaining the generative aspect of the language. According to him, a child cannot learn something only by imitation and reward. He says a child is born with a mental capacity to establish underlying rules from the jumble of language which is exposed

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

If you have any doubts, please let me know

Popular posts from this blog

The direct method

The direct method The general dissatisfaction with the grammar-translation method gave birth to the direct method of teaching. This method claims to teach a foreign language without the use of a mother tongue. It is based on the natural approach that learning a foreign language is the same as learning the mother tongue naturally without the help of any written rules. Its two major aims are: to think in the target language and to speak it with the correct pronunciation. In short, it aims at establishing a direct bond between thought and expression, between experience and language. This method works on four principles; No translation under any circumstances. A strong emphasis on Oral work. Avoidance of grammatical explanation for stop. Maximum use of question-answer techniques Advantages of the direct method: 1.  Natural method: The child learns first by listening and speaking. This method lays stress on this natural way of learning language skills. 2. Fluency in speech: Through e...
1 comment
Read more

Writing test items

Writing test items Testing is a very important aspect of teaching. According to ''Wilga Rivers'', "It is a natural step in the educational process so stop. They have a twofold purpose, acting as a guide to the student and a guide to the teacher".  All tests can be grouped under three categories:  Aptitude test Proficiency tests Achievement tests The most commonly used classroom tests are achievement tests. ''B.W Robinett'' has called them "scoring tests". They measure how far students have achieved the goals of the instruction; they also evaluate the effectiveness of the instruction. Achievement tests are of two types: Subjective tests Objective tests They are different from each other in their design and technique 1. Subjective test: Subjective tests are also called "easy type tests''. Subjective means something personal based on personal feelings and opinions. As such, in these tests, the assessment depends upon the ex...
1 comment
Read more

why is classroom management important

  why is classroom management important Classroom management is one of the two major responsibilities of a teacher. The other responsibility is instruction. Classroom management and management of student conduct are skills that teachers should acquire. To be sure, effective teaching requires considerable skill in managing the myriad of tasks and situations that occur in the classroom each day. Skills such as effective classroom management are central to teaching and require common sense, consistency, a sense of fairness, and courage. These skills also require that teachers in more than one way the psychological management is only acquired with practice, feedback, and a willingness to learn from mistakes. An effective teacher is not only a master of his subject but also a master of classroom situations. The teacher as management expert of the class adopts strategies to manage it Component of classroom management There are three components of classroom management which are described...
2 comments
Read more