Good day!

Classroom Rules
1. Be on time!
2. No cellphone in class unless I say it's
OK!
3. RESPECT,
your classmates
your instructor
the school and its staff
yourself
4. Always listen to the
instructor.
 4 P IC S 1
WO R D
Mechanics: You need to guess what the
word is by looking at 4 pictures with just 1
word.
 __ __ __ __ __ __
R A D R H E A W I N
 REW AR
R A D DR H E A W I N
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
H O U M T E P I W N O E S
 PUNISHMENT
H O U M T E P I W N O E
 __ __ __ __ __ __
V M B E R I W A
 VERBAL
V M B E R I W A
 __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
T A E I I M I N T L O
 IMITATION
T A E I I M I N T L O
__ __ __ __ __ __ __
I M N E F I A T
 INFANTS
I M N E F I A T
 B ehavior is
t T heor y
Theories of Language
Acquistion
 Objectives
At the end of the lesson, I am able
to: Identify then summarize the different
theories in human language acquisition.
Explain the f undamental concepts
of language learning and acquisition
Theories of Language
theories.
Acquistion
Apply language acquisition theories
to personal development in language
 The Principle of Behaviorist
Theory
The behaviorist theory believes that "infants learn
oral language from other human role models
through a process involving imitation, rewards,
and practice. Human role models in an infant's
environment provide the stimuli and rewards."
(Cooter & Reutzel, 2004).
 The Background
Behaviorist theory, which is basically a psychological theory in its
essence, founded by J.B Watson, is actually a theory of native
language learning, advanced in part as a reaction to traditional
grammar. The supporters of this theory are Leonard Bloomfield,
O.N. Mowrer, B.F. Skinner, and A.W. Staats. Behaviorism was
advanced in America as a new approach to psychology in the early
decades of the 20th-century by making a particular emphasis on
the importance of verbal behavior, and received a considerable
trust from the educational world of 1950s.
Operating Principle
 Operating Principle
1. Behaviorist theory dwells only on spoken
language.
 Operating Principle
1. Behaviorist theory dwells only on spoken
language.
2. Stimulus-response in this theory is a pure case
of conditioning.

Conditioning = learned

Imitation
 Operating Principle
1. Behaviorist theory dwells only on spoken language.
2. Stimulus-response in this theory is a pure case
of conditioning.
3. All learning are establishment of reinforcement
and reward.
 Operating Principle
1. Behaviorist theory dwells only on spoken language.
2. Stimulus-response in this theory is a pure case
of conditioning.
3. All learning are establishment of reinforcement
and
reward.
4. Behaviorist theory is the habit formation of
language.
 Operating Principle
1. Behaviorist theory dwells only on spoken language.
2. Stimulus-response in this theory is a pure case
of conditioning.
3. All learning are establishment of reinforcement
and reward.
4. Behaviorist theory is the habit formation of
language.
5. The learning, due to its socially-conditioned
nature, can be the same for each individual.
B.F. Skinner
- Developed the
operant
conditioning In this
. theory, there is
reinforcement of
behavior by th
giving e
reward or punishment
Operant Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
Reinforcement
Punishment
 Operant Conditioning
Reinforcement

Punishment

Positive

Negativ
e
 Operant Conditioning
Reinforcement
Punishment
Positiv addition of pleasant
e stimulus

Negativ
e
 Operant Conditioning
Positive Reinforcement
Example: The child gets a hug from her mother
after uttering the word 'mama' corretly.

Desired Behavior: Uttering word 'mama'

correctly Addition of pleasant stimulus: The

 Operant Conditioning
Reinforcement
Punishment
Positiv - addition of pleasant
e stimulus

- removal of an
Negativ unpleasant stimulus
e
 Operant Conditioning
Reinforcement
Punishment
- addition of pleasant - addition of
Positiv stimulus unpleasant stimulus
e

- removal of
Negativ unpleasant stimulus
e
 Operant Conditioning
Positive Punishment
Example: The mother did not give the child a
water for uttering the word 'muh-mum' instead of
'water'.

Undesired Behavior: Uttering the word 'muh-mum'

Addition of unpleasant stimulus: The child did not

 Operant Conditioning
Reinforcement
Punishment
- addition of pleasant - addition of
Positiv stimulus unpleasant stimulus
e

- removal of - removal of pleasant

Negativ unpleasant stimulus stimulus
e
 Operant Conditioning
Negative Punishment
Example: The grandmother tookaway the child's
toy for uttering the word 'wowa' instead of
Lola.

Undesired Behavior: Uttering the word 'wowa'

Removal of pleasant stimulus: Grandmother took

away
Counterarguments on Behaviorist
Theory of Language Learning
 Counterarguments on Behaviorist
Theory of Language Learning
1. Basic strategies of language learning within the
scope of behaviorist theory are imitation,
reinforcement, and rewarding. However, researchers
made on the acquisition of learning have
demonstrated that children's imitation of structures
show evidence of almost no innovation; moreover
children "vary considerably in the amount that they
imitate" (L.M. Bloom, L. Hood, and P.L. Lightbown,
 Counterarguments on Behaviorist
Theory of Language Learning

2. In behaviorist theory, the process of

learning relies more in generalisation,
rewarding, conditioning, three of which
support the development of analogical
learning in children.
 Counterarguments on Behaviorist
Theory of Language Learning

3. Obstructions made on instinctively-

based learning will doubtedlessly harm
the creative way of learning. It takes a
long time to be capable enough to master
a language at least a bit intrinsically.
 Counterarguments on Behaviorist
Theory of Language Learning

4. The rate of social influence on learning is

not satisfactorily explained. To what extent
and rate, does the social surrounding
promote language learning? This question
remains unexplained.
 Counterarguments on Behaviorist
Theory of Language Learning

5. It is highly unlikely for learning to be the

same foer each individual; that is, each person
cannot learn equally well in the same
conditions in which learning takes place, for
the background and experience of the
learners make everybody learned differently.
 Counterarguments on Behaviorist
Theory of Language Learning

6. The main strategies of the behaviorist theory

can only be true for the for the early stages of
learning which takes place when the kids are in
infancy and in early chlidhood periods.
Moreover, this theory is fruitful for the most
part on animal experimentation and learning.