Behaviorism is a psycholinguistic approach to language acquisition, dominating

the language acquisition scene in the 50s and 60s of the 20th centuries, viewing it
as any other type of learning, as the formation of habits. This view, in fact, has
initiated from work on psychology which sees learning of any kind of behavior as
being based on the notion Stimulus-Response-Reinforcement. In this view, human
beings have been regarded as being exposed to numerous stimuli in their
environment to which they respond. The responses they give to such stimuli will
be reinforced if successful, that is if some desired outcome is obtained. What is
emphasized in behaviorism is that learning takes place by conditioning which may
take two forms-
1. Classical Conditioning
2. Operant Conditioning

1. Classical Conditioning: Pavlov discovered through experiments on dogs, in

which the original stimulus and paired with a neutral conditional stimulus
repeatedly giving rise to the desired reaction. Pavlov's experiment which
indicates that stimulus and response work together. According to this category,
the babies obtain native language habits via varied babblings which resemble
the appropriate words repeated by a person or object near him. Since for his
babblings and mutterings he is rewarded, this very reward reinforces further
articulations of the same sort into grouping of syllables and words in a similar
situation. In this way, he goes on emitting sounds, groups of sounds, and as he
grows up, he combines the sentences via generalizations and analogy (as in
*goed for went, *doed, for did, so on), which in some complicated cases,
condition him to commit errors by articulating in permissible structures in
speech.

The Experiment- Pavlov conducted experiments using animal (dog) because he

thinks animals have in common with humans. Nevertheless, with all its
advantages, is fundamentally different from human beings to animals. He was
experimenting with how to conduct surgery on a dog's cheek. The saliva gland is
visible from outside. When shown something of food, it will come out the dog
saliva. Now, before the food is shown, the red light is shown first, and food. Saliva
water itself will come out anyway. If such action is done repeatedly, then at one
time by just showing a red light without food then saliva water will come out
anyway. The food is reasonable stimulus, while the red light is artificial stimuli. It
turns out that such an act is done repeatedly; it will give rise to artificial
stimulation condition for the onset of salivation in the dogs. This event is called:
Conditional or Conditioned reflex response.

To understand the theory of classical conditioning as a whole need to understand

there are two types of stimuli and two response types. The two types of stimuli are-
i. UCS- The unconditioned stimulus, which automatically generates a
stimulus that preceded the response without any learning. For example:
food and unconditioned stimulus
ii. CS- The conditioned stimulus, which previously neutral stimulus,
eventually bringing a conditioned response after associated with the
unconditioned stimulus. For example: food comes before the bell sounds.
Based on the assumption that by using certain stimuli, human behavior can be
changed according to what is desired.

2. Operant Conditioning
Skinner set out to propound language learning in terms of operant conditioning.
Skinner’s operant conditioning focuses on using reinforcement to increase or
decrease the likelihood of behavior. An association is formed through this process
between the behavior and the consequences of that behavior. Skinner argues that it
is the behavior that follows a response which reinforces it and thus helps to
strengthen the association. The learning of a habit thus can occur through-
 Imitation- the learner copies the stimulus behavior sufficiently often for it to
become automatic.
 Reinforcement- The response of the learner is rewarded or punished
depending on whether it is appropriate or otherwise, until only appropriate
responses are given.
There are two types of Reinforcement-

1. Positive Reinforcement- Positive reinforcement is based on the principle

that the frequency of a response increases because it was followed by a
stimulus that contains award. Thus, the behavior of which is expected to
increase due to be followed by a pleasant stimulus.
Rat and Cage: Skinner showed how positive reinforcement worked by
placing a hungry rat in his Skinner box. The box contained a lever on the
side, and as the rat moved about the box, it would accidentally knock the
lever. Immediately it did so a food pellet would drop into a container next to
the lever. The rats quickly learned to go straight to the lever after a few
times of being put in the box. The consequence of receiving food if they
pressed the lever ensured that they would repeat the action again and again.
 Positive reinforcement strengthens a behavior by providing a consequence
an individual finds rewarding. 

2. Negative Reinforcement- Negative reinforcement or punishment is based

on the principle that the frequency of a response increases because followed
by a stimulus that is not fun to be removed. Thus, the behavior of which is
expected to increase due to be followed by the removal of an unpleasant
stimulus. Skinner showed how negative reinforcement worked by placing a
rat in his Skinner box and then subjecting it to an unpleasant electric current
which caused it some discomfort. As the rat moved about the box it would
accidentally knock the lever. Immediately it did so the electric current would
be switched off. The rats quickly learned to go straight to the lever after a
few times of being put in the box. The consequence of escaping the electric
current ensured that they would repeat the action again and again. In fact
Skinner even taught the rats to avoid the electric current by turning on a light
just before the electric current came on. The rats soon learned to press the
lever when the light came on because they knew that this would stop the
electric current being switched on.
Positive reinforcements are rewards whereas negative ones are punishments. As a
result, the likelihood of expected behavior increases - that is, the possibility of
imitating the behavior is positively reinforced.

Examples:
1. If a child makes an inappropriate or incorrect response, they will be
discouraged (negatively reinforced) and the likelihood of the behavior will
cease. As a result, that piece of language will not be imitated to the same
situation. In other words, a child imitates a piece of language they hear. If
they receive positive reinforcement, they will continue to imitate and
practice that piece of language which then turns into a ‘habit’. By contrast, if
they receive negative reinforcement, they will cease to imitate and
eventually stop.
2. This again can be explained by the following example. Suppose, a mother is
trying to teach her son to pronounce a word. When the son successfully
pronounces the word, he receives praise as a reward. However, when he fails
to pronounce the word, the mother suspends the praise, or rebukes. In this
process, the son forms an association between his behavior of pronouncing
the word correctly and receiving the desired reward. Therefore, the major
principle of the Behaviorist Theory rests on the analysis of human behavior
in observable stimulus-response-reinforcement.