BEHAVIOURISM

BEHAVIOURISM

1. Children imitate adults

   • correct utterances are reinforced when they get what they want or are praised.

2. experiments on animals.

   • rats or birds
     • could be taught to perform various tasks by encouraging habit-forming
   • desirable behaviour
     • positive reinforcement
   • Undesirable behaviour
     • negative reinforcement

3. Skinner

   • explanation for language acquisition in humans
   • a child imitates the language of its parents or carers

4. Limitations

   • Language is based on a set of structures or rules
     • children are not simply imitating but actively working out and applying rules
   • developmental milestones
     • unaffected by the treatment the child receives or the type of society in which s/he grows up
   • Children are often unable to repeat what an adult says
   • Parents are more interested in politeness and truthfulness.
   • critical period for language acquisition