THEORIES

LANGUAGE AND
COMMUNICATION
GROUP 3
SABELALA, MARK NATHANIELLE
SURIO, JESSA
LOBOS, EMELYN
 TOPICS

• BEHAVIORAL THEORY
• NATIVISTIC THEORY
• SEMANTIC COGNITIVE
• SOCIAL PRAGMATIC THEORY
BEHAVIORAL
THEORY
 BEHAVIORAL THEORY

Behavioral theory is the branch of psychology that explores the

behavior of organisms, both human and non-human, in terms of
the effects of their environment on their behavior. Behavioral
theory seeks to explain human behavior by analyzing the
antecedents and consequences present in the individual's
environment and the learned associations he or she has acquired
through previous experience.
 WHAT ARE THE 4 BEHAVIORAL
THEORIES ?

Four models that present a logical and reasonable

approach to behavioral change include the Health
Belief Model, the Theory of Self Efficacy, the
Theory of Reasoned Action, and the
Multiattribute Utility Model.
• THE HEALTH BELIEF MODEL

The Health Belief Model is a theoretical model that can

be used to guide health promotion and disease prevention
programs. It is used to explain and predict individual
changes in health behaviors. It is one of the most widely
used models for understanding health behaviors.
• THE THEORY OF SELF EFFICACY

Self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief in his or her

capacity to execute behaviors necessary to produce
specific performance attainments. Self-efficacy reflects
confidence in the ability to exert control over one's own
motivation, behavior, and social environment.
• THE THEORY OF REASONED ACTION

The theory of reasoned action aims to explain the

relationship between attitudes and behaviors within
human action. It is mainly used to predict how
individuals will behave based on their pre-existing
attitudes and behavioral intentions.
• THE MULTIATTRIBUTE UTILITY MODEL

Multi-attribute utility models are models designed to

obtain the utility of items or. alternatives that must be
evaluated on more than one criterion. The additive and
multiplicative model forms are examined, and methods
for estimating the model parameters are presented.
 BEHAVIORAL THEORIES CAN BE
CLASSIFIED AS:
• Classical conditioning – This learning process creates
a conditioned response through associations between an
unconditioned stimulus and a neutral stimulus.
• Operant conditioning - is a method of learning that
employs rewards and punishments for behavior. 
 THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF
BEHAVIORAL THEORY:
1.Methodological- behavior should be studied without
connection to mental states (just behavior).
2.Psychological- Human and animal behavior is
explained based on external, physical stimuli.
3.Analytical/Logical- Certain behaviors will arise from
particular mental states and beliefs.
 WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF BEHAVIORAL
THEORY ?

A common example of behaviorism is positive

reinforcement. A student gets a small treat if they
get 100% on their spelling test. In the future,
students work hard and study for their test in order
to get the reward.
NATIVISTIC
THEORY
 NATIVISTIC THEORY

Nativist theory is the belief that at least some

aspects of human knowledge, abilities, or traits are
innate and not learned. They believe that children
have language-specific abilities that assist them as
they work towards mastering a language.
 WHAT IS NATIVISTIC THEORY OF
LANGUAGE LEARNING ?
The nativist theory is a biologically based theory, which
argues that humans are pre-programmed with the innate
ability to develop language. Noam Chomsky is the main
theorist associated with the nativist perspective. He
developed the idea of the Language Acquisition Device
(LAD).
 WHY IS THE NATIVIST THEORY IS
IMPORTANT ?

The Nativist theory believes there is a biological

approach to language development through the
genetic makeup of all humans while proposing this
theory is a miracle.
 WHAT IS AN EXAMPLE OF NATIVISTIC
THEORY?
Some nativists believe that specific beliefs or preferences
are "hard-wired". For example, one might argue that some
moral intuitions are innate or that color preferences are
innate. A less established argument is that nature supplies
the human mind with specialized learning devices.
SEMANTIC
COGNITIVE
 SEMANTIC COGNITIVE

Cognitive semantics is part of the cognitive linguistics

movement. Semantics is the study of linguistic meaning.
Cognitive semantics holds that language is part of a more
general human cognitive ability, and can therefore only
describe the world as people conceive of it. 
WHAT IS SEMANTIC COGNITIVE THEORY
OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT ?
The semantic-cognitive theory is a perspective of language
development that emphasizes the interrelationship between
language learning and cognition; that is, the meanings
conveyed by a child's productions. Children demonstrate
certain cognitive abilities as a corresponding language
behavior emerges.
 WHAT SEMANTIC COGNITIVE IN
LANGUAGE LEARNING ?
Semantics is the study of how meaning is created by words.
It is sometimes compared with syntax, which concerns the
rules that dictate how sentences are formed. Example.
Semantic change is when a word changes meaning. It can
become wider in meaning or narrower, or more positive or
more negative.
Types of Semantic
cognitive :
 PROTOTYPE THEORY

• Prototype theory is a theory of categorization in

cognitive science, particularly in psychology and
cognitive linguistics, in which there is a graded
degree of belonging to a conceptual category, and
some members are more central than others.
 CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS

• conceptual metaphor refers to the understanding

of one idea, or conceptual domain, in terms of
another.
 FRAME SEMANTICS

• Frame semantics is a research program in

empirical semantics which emphasizes the
continuities between language and experience,
and provides a framework for presenting the
results of that research.
 WHAT IS COGNITIVE SEMANTICS
EXAMPLE ?
Cognitive linguistics argues that semantics involves
conceptualization or construal of an experience by a speaker
for the purposes of linguistic communication. For
example, an English count noun can be used in a mass noun
grammatical context, as in There was a huge Buick there;
just acres of car.
SOCIAL
PRAGMATIC
THEORY
 SOCIAL PRAGMATIC THEORY

A social pragmatic theory is a theory that explains how

people use language to communicate and interact with each
other. Social-pragmatic theory argues that the cognitive
abilities that develop in the second year of life are not
merely coincidental, but are an essential component of
language acquisition.
 WHAT IS PRAGMATIC THEORY OF
LANGUAGE ?
What Is Pragmatics? In linguistics (the study of language),
pragmatics is a specialized branch of study, focusing on the
relationship between natural language and users of that
language. Pragmatics focuses on conversational
implicatures or that which a speaker implies and which a
listener infers.
What are the Three Types
of Social Pragmatic
Theory ?
• 1.1 PEIRCE'S PRAGMATIC THEORY OF TRUTH.

RATHER, A TRUE BELIEF IS ONE THAT HAS AND WILL CONTINUE TO HOLD UP TO SUSTAINED INQUIRY. IN THE PRACTICAL
TERMS PEIRCE PREFERS, THIS MEANS THAT TO HAVE A TRUE BELIEF IS TO HAVE A BELIEF THAT IS DEPENDABLE IN THE
FACE OF ALL FUTURE CHALLENGES.
• 1.2 JAMES' PRAGMATIC THEORY OF TRUTH.

(JAMES DOES OFFER THE QUALIFICATION “IN THE LONG RUN AND ON THE WHOLE OF COURSE” (1907 [1975: 106]) TO INDICATE
THAT TRUTH IS DIFFERENT FROM INSTANT GRATIFICATION, THOUGH HE DOES NOT SAY HOW LONG THE LONG RUN SHOULD
BE.)
• 1.3 DEWEY'S PRAGMATIC THEORY OF TRUTH.

BOTH DEWEY AND WILLIAM JAMES, IN HIS BOOK PRAGMATISM (1907), ARGUED THAT THE TRADITIONAL CORRESPONDENCE THEORY
OF TRUTH, ACCORDING TO WHICH THE TRUE IDEA IS ONE THAT AGREES OR CORRESPONDS TO REALITY, ONLY BEGS THE QUESTION OF
WHAT THE “AGREEMENT” OR “CORRESPONDENCE” OF IDEA WITH REALITY IS.
 WHAT IS AN EXAMPLE OF SOCIAL
PRAGMATIC THEORY ?

Changing language for the listener or situation,

such as: Talking differently to a baby than to an
adult. Giving more information to someone who
does not know the topic. Knowing to skip some
details when someone already knows the topic.
Thank
you :>