LANGAUGE ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT

APURA, ROZE ANGELA G.

MAED – ELT
18-41848

Task 5

Compare and contrast the following Learning Theories (Make a matrix)

1. Behaviorist Theory by Skinner

2. Innatist Theory by Chomsky
3. Cognitive Theory by Piaget
4. Sociocultural Theory by Vygotsky
5. Interactionist Theory by Skinner and Piaget

The theory of behaviorism is mostly learned through conditioning and

reinforcement (rewards and punishment). It does not give much
attention to the mind and the possibility of thought processes
occurring in the mind. Contributions in the development of the
behaviorist theory largely came from Pavlov, Thorndike and Skinner.

Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist, is well known for his work in

classical conditioning or stimulus substitution. Pavlov’s most renowned
experiment involved meat, a dog and a bell. Initially, Pavlov was
measuring the dog’s salivation in order to study digestion. This is
when he stumbled upon classical conditioning.
Pavlov’s Experiment. Before conditioning, ringing the bell (neutral
stimulus) caused no response from the dog. Placing food
(unconditioned response). During conditioning, the bell was rung a few
seconds before the dog was presented with food. After conditioning,
Ivan Pavlov the ringing of the bell (conditioned stimulus) alone produced salivation
Behaviorist Edward (conditioned response). This is classical conditioning.
Theory Thorndike
B.F Skinner
Edward Thorndike's
Connectionism theory
gave us the original S-
R framework of
behavioral
psychology. More than a
hundred years ago he wrote
a text book entitled,
Educational Psychology. He
was the first one to use this
term. He explained that
learning is the result of
associations forming
between stimuli (S) and
responses (R). Such
associations or habits"
become strengthened or
weakened
by the nature and frequency
of the S-R pairings. The
model for S-R theory was
trial and error learning
in which certain responses
came to be repeated more
than others because of
rewards.
Edward Thorndike's
Connectionism theory
gave us the original S-
R framework of
behavioral
psychology. More than a
hundred years ago he wrote
a text book entitled,
Educational Psychology. He
was the first one to use this
term. He explained that
learning is the result of
associations forming
between stimuli (S) and
responses (R). Such
associations or habits"
become strengthened or
weakened
by the nature and frequency
of the S-R pairings. The
model for S-R theory was
trial and error learning
in which certain responses
came to be repeated more
than others because of
rewards.
Edward Thorndike's
Connectionism theory
gave us the original S-
R framework of
behavioral
psychology. More than a
hundred years ago he wrote
a text book entitled,
Educational Psychology. He
was the first one to use this
term. He explained that
learning is the result of
associations forming
between stimuli (S) and
responses (R). Such
associations or habits"
become strengthened or
weakened
by the nature and frequency
of the S-R pairings. The
model for S-R theory was
trial and error learning
in which certain responses
came to be repeated more
than others because of
rewards.
Edward Thorndikes’s Connectionism theory gave us the original S-
R of behavioral psychology. More than a hundred years ago he wrote
a text book entitled, Educational Psychology. He was the first one to
use this term. He explained that learning is the result of associations
forming between stimuli (S) and response (R). Such associations or
habits become strengthened or weakened by the nature and
frequency of the S-R pairings. The model for S-R theory was trial and
error learning in which certain responses came to be repeated more
than others because of rewards.
 Burrhus Frederick Skinner. Like Pavlov, and Thorndike, Skinner
believed in the stimulus-response pattern of conditioned behavior. His
theory zeroed in only on changes in observable behavior, excluding
any likelihood of any processes taking place in the mind. Skinner’s
1948 book, Walden Two, is about utopian society based on operant
conditioning. He also wrote Science and Human Behavior, in which he
pointed out how the principles of operant conditioning function in
social institutions such as government, law, religion, economics and
education.
Operant Conditioning is based upon the notion that learning is a
result of change in overt behavior. Changes in behavior are the result
of an individual’s response to events (stimuli) that occur in the
environment. A response produces a consequence such as defining a
word, hitting a ball, or solving a math problem. When a particular
Stimulus-Response (S-R) pattern is reinforced (rewarded), the
individual is conditioned to respond.

The theories proposed by Noam Chomsky have significantly shaped

our understanding of language acquisition and universal grammar.
Chomsky's perspective suggests that the human mind is pre-
equipped with a set of linguistic constraints, often referred to as
"universal grammar." This framework provides a common structural
foundation across all languages, despite their apparent differences.
One of the intriguing aspects of language acquisition that Chomsky
explored is the seemingly effortless way in which children grasp
grammatical rules and structures.

Innatist Noam Chomsky This stands in stark contrast to the behaviorist perspective, which
places heavy emphasis on external stimuli and reinforcement in
Theory
language learning. Instead, Chomsky proposed the existence of an
internal language acquisition mechanism within the human brain.
This mechanism enables children to rapidly grasp complex
grammatical structures, even without explicit instruction or sufficient
language input.
Chomsky's theory was revolutionary in that it challenged the prevailing
belief that language development was solely influenced by
environmental factors.
He suggested that children are born with an innate understanding of
grammar, which provides a framework for language acquisition.
Despite the surface-level variations among languages, Chomsky
argued that all human languages share underlying syntactic
categories and grammatical features.
The Theory of Cognitive Development by Jean Piaget, the Swiss
psychologist, suggests that children's intelligence undergoes changes
as they grow. Cognitive development in children is not only related
to acquiring knowledge, children need to build or develop a mental
model of their surrounding world (Miller, 2011). His work is regarded
as the cornerstone in the field of developmental psychology. In this
article, we examine the implications his work has for the intellectual
 development of children in classrooms.
Cognitive Jean Piaget
In the 1920s, Piaget was working at the Binet Institute and his main
Theory
responsibility was to translate questions written in English intelligence
tests into French. He became interested to find out why children gave
incorrect answers to the questions needing logical
thinking (Meadows, 2019).
Piaget's theory of cognitive development is based on the idea that
children go through four stages of development, each with their own
unique characteristics and abilities. The first stage, the sensorimotor
stage, occurs from birth to around two years old and is characterized
by the child's understanding of the world through sensory
experiences and motor actions. The second stage, the preoperational
stage, occurs from around two to seven years old and is characterized
by the child's ability to use symbols to represent objects and events.
The third stage, the concrete operational stage, occurs from around
seven to twelve years old and is characterized by the child's ability to
think logically about concrete objects and events. Finally, the fourth
stage, the formal operational stage, occurs from around twelve years
old and is characterized by the child's ability to think abstractly and
reason hypothetically.
Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) was a Russian psychologist and teacher
who developed a theory about how our social interactions influence
our cognitive development. This is known as Lev Vygotsky's
Sociocultural Theory of Cognitive Development.

Vygotsky developed his theories around the same time as Swiss

psychologist Jean Piaget was developing theories about cognitive
development, but they differ on almost every point. Some of
Vygotsky's work is still being translated from Russian.

Vygotsky's social development theory asserts that a child's cognitive

development and learning ability can be guided and mediated by their
social interactions. His theory (also called Vygotsky's Sociocultural
theory) states that learning is a crucially social process as opposed to
an independent journey of discovery. He expands on this by stating
that a child's learning benefitted greatly from being guided by a more
knowledgeable member of the community - such as a parent or
teacher.
Sociocultura Lev Vygotsky
l Theory Vygotsky's sociocultural theory also suggested that children internalise
and learn from the beliefs and attitudes that they witness around them.
He believed that culture played an important role in shaping cognitive
development and therefore that this development varied across
cultures. Vygotsky also stressed the importance of language as the
root of all learning.

Vygotsky's theory places importance on guiding children's learning

through their interaction with a more knowledgeable other (MKO). The
more knowledgeable other could be anyone with a greater
understanding of the task or concept that the child is trying to
complete or learn. Most often, this would be a parent, caregiver or
 teacher, but it could also be a peer or mentor.

This theory is not limited to academic or educational learning, it can

also be applied to recreational learning such as playing games or
using technology. In these circumstances, a peer or older child is more
likely to be the more knowledgeable other.
Interactionist B.F Skinner The interactionist/social theory proposes that language exists for the
Theory Jean Piaget purpose of communication and can only be learned in the context of
interaction with adults and other children. It stresses the importance of
the environment and culture in which the language is being learned.
Interactionists acknowledge the presence of innate biological
mechanisms, but emphasize the critical role of social interactions
(Jensen & Arnett, 2017; Levine & Munsch, 2018). Lev Vygotsky is the
most well-known interactionist theorist and provided a theoretical
framework for other interactionists to further develop theories of
language acquisition.

BF Skinner believed that children learned language by imitating

caregivers and responding to positive or negative reinforcement in a
process known as operant conditioning. Piaget believed that children
must first develop cognitive faculties before they can develop
language.

References

https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/xavier-university-ateneo-de-cagayan/psychology/
behaviorism-pavlov-thorndike-watson-skinner/13781624

https://www.structural-learning.com/post/chomskys-theory

https://www.structural-learning.com/post/jean-piagets-theory-of-cognitive-development-and-
active-classrooms

https://www.gowriensw.com.au/thought-leadership/vygotsky-theory#:~:text=Vygotsky's
%20social%20development%20theory%20asserts,an%20independent%20journey%20of
%20discovery.

https://www.studysmarter.co.uk/explanations/english/language-acquisition/theories-of-
language-acquisition/#:~:text=BF%20Skinner%20believed%20that%20children,before
%20they%20can%20develop%20language.

-
response pattern of conditioned
behavior. His theory zeroed in only
on changes in observable behavior,
excluding any likelihood of any
processes taking place in the mind.
Skinner's 1948 book, Walden Two, is
about a utopian society based on
operant conditioning. He also wrote
Science and Human Behavior,
(1953) in which he pointed out how
the principles of operant
conditioning function in social
institutions
such as government, law, religion
behavior (voluntary behaviors used
in operating on the environment).
Thus, his theory came to be
known as Operant Co
Changes in behavior are the result of
an individual's response to events
(stimuli) that occur in the
environment. A response produces a
consequence such as defining a
word, hitting a ball, or solving a
math problem. When a
particular Stimulus-Response (S-
R) pattern is reinforced
(rewarded), the
individual is conditioned to respond.
Changes in behavior are the result of
an individual's response to events
(stimuli) that occur in the
environment. A response produces a
consequence such as defining a
word, hitting a ball, or solving a
math problem. When a
particular Stimulus-Response (S-
R) pattern is reinforced
(rewarded), the
individual is conditioned