Second Language Acquisition - Behaviorism and Language Learning

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture on behaviorism in second language acquisition, focusing on important terms and definitions relevant to the subject.

Behaviorism

A psychological theory that focuses on observable behaviors and emphasizes the role of the environment in shaping actions and habits.

L1

The first language or native language of an individual.

L2

A second language that a person learns after acquiring their first language.

Transfer

The psychological process where prior learning affects new learning, either positively or negatively.

Positive Transfer

Occurs when knowledge from the first language aids the learning of the second language.

Negative Transfer

Occurs when interference from the first language hinders the learning of the second language.

Stimulus-Response Connection

A concept from behaviorism that describes how a stimulus (such as an object) produces a response (such as a word), forming a habit.

Mimicking

The act of imitating the speech or behavior of others in the process of language learning.

Bloomfield's Position

Describes the behaviorist view of language acquisition, asserting that children learn language through habit formation and imitation.

Contrastive Analysis

A method for comparing different languages to identify similarities and differences, guiding the understanding of language transfer.