MENTALISM

MENTALISM: Thinking as rule-governed activity

Questions for reading:

– What is behaviorist view about language learning?

– Do children learn L1 only by imitating?

– Did Chomsky agree with Skinner’s theory? Why ?/ Why not ?

– What is Chomsky’s view about learning?

– Give examples of some hypotheses that Vietnamese learners formulate in their language learning.

Chomsky: an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, political activist, author & lecturer
(1959) argues that human behaviour is much more complex than animal behaviour.

According to Chomsky, language is not a form of behaviour, it is an intricate rule-based system and a
large part of language acquisition is the learning of this system.

Lg. is not a set of habits. If all lg is learnt behaviouristly, how come children & adults frequently say
things they have never heard before? How is it poss. to create whole new sent. in conversation &
poetry?

Behaviourist view could not explain how from a ……………………. range of experience, the human
mind was able to cope with an ………………………. range of poss. situations.

Set of rules & Vocab..= …………………

Individual utterances = ……. .………….

What does that mean?

- There are a finite number of grammatical rules in the system and with knowledge of these rules an infinite
of sentences can be produced. A language learner acquires language competence, which enables him to
produce language.
- We can do these things b/c we have mental ability to process what we hear. Thinking must be rule-
governed: a finite set of rules enables the mind to deal with the potentially range of experiences it may
encounter.
- Children’s minds are not ……………………. to be filled in by imitating the language they hear from
the environment. Children are born with an innate capacity for language learning which allows them to
discover for themselves the rules underlying the language.
- This innate ability is called ……………………. ………………… (LAD) or black box; later on
Chomsky referred to this as innate knowledge of the principles of Universal Grammar (UG).
How does the language acquisition device work?
- The language acquisition device contains all the principles which are ……………… to all languages.
- For language acquisition device to work the child needs …………………. of natural language which
activate the device.
- Once activated, the child is able to discover the structure of the language by matching the innate
knowledge of grammatical principles with the structures of the particular language.
Language Acquisition Device = ………………………………

PERFORMANCE AND COMPETENCE

Chomsky put forth his own model of competence & performance.
• Competence: a person’s internalized grammar of a lg./knowing what is grammatically correct.
• Performance: is the actual use of lg. by individuals in speech & writing.

IN A WORD:
• Principle: Learning is acquiring rules, i.e individual experiences are used by the mind to find the
underlying pattern or system.
• Implication:
• Inductive teaching of grammar
• Facilitating Ss’ learning by showing them rules and let them have a go on their own.
Making up their own sentences is the objective.

TASKS:
What rules/ patterns will you, as the teacher, show your students when teaching them the following
sentences? Also, give 2 more examples so that your students can work out the correct rules when grammar is
taught inductively.
1. If you have any query, call and ask us.
2. It is your presence that enlivens the party.
3. By saving water we also reduce the amount of chemicals and energy used in water and sewage treatment.
4. Having kids around seems to bring out the best in adult behavior.
5. The more words you know, the more ideas you can express and the more precise you can be about their exact
meaning.
6. During a long dry summer, Harina notices that every time she opens the door of the car she receives a shock,
and she pulls her hand back reflexively.
7. Heavy rain would not only wash away the soil but would cause serious floods as well.
8. Although chicken always appeal to me, I still feel uncomfortable with fish.
9. In contrast, the United States was the major supplier of imports, accounting for 21% of imports last year.
10. Argentina has a strong economy based on its rich agricultural and mineral resources and in thriving service
industry.
 COGNITIVISM

• Cognitive psychology in contrast to behaviourism is interested in the way the human mind
………………… and ……………………. It is interested in the ……………………. processes that
are involved in learning and how the learner is involved in the process of learning.
• The learner is seen as an ……………….. participant in the learning process using various kind of
mental strategies in order to sort out the system of the language being learnt.
• Cognitive theories look beyond ………………………….to explain brain-based learning.
• Information processing model:
• Learning happens as a result of brain ……………………. where knowledge is ……………………….
from short to long term memory.
• In order for this to happen, new information must be linked to old information and information and
concepts must be ……………………………………….
• The role of the teacher is to help learners ………………….. new information for later
………………………..

COGNITIVISM AND IMPLICATIONS FOR LEARNING

• Learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their
………………………………. knowledge.
• The learner selects and transforms information, constructs hypotheses, and makes decisions, relying
on a cognitive structure to do so.
• Cognitive structure (i.e., schema, mental models) provides meaning and organization to experiences
and allows the individual to "go …………………….. the information given".
• As far as instruction is concerned, the instructor should try and encourage students to
………………………….. principles by …………………………….
• The instructor and student should engage in an …………………………. (i.e., Socratic learning).
• The task of the instructor is to ……………………… information to be learned into a format
appropriate to the learner's …………………………. state of understanding.
• Curriculum should be organized in a ……………………….. manner so that the student continually
builds upon what they have already learned.
• Inquiry-oriented projects.
• Opportunities for the testing of ………………………….