Chapter 2 Vocabulary for English Course: Language Acquisition Theories and Behaviorism

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76 Terms

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How do we acquire language?

nativist theory, behaviorist theory, interactionist

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Nativist Theory

- believe children are predisposed to talk

- minimal impact from the environment

- view language exposure as "triggers" for the natural process

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Nativist theory - Human biology

- specialized areas of the brain designated for language

- Wernick'es area

- Arcuate fasciculus

- Broca's area

- Motor cortex

- Mirror neurons

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Wernicke's area

formulation of language and processing takes place

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Arcuate fascicles

"super highway" for neurons traveling to Broca's area

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Broca's area

expression, motor output, planning, telling mouth what to do, sequence movements

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Motor Cortex

sending messages to mouth

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mirror neurons

fires neurons needed for speech

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plasticity

constantly changing

- self organizing neural network

- "forever learner"

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naming deficit

haven't had time to organize words yet, they['re confused a little

- 18to20 months of age

- sudden confusion for previously learned words - huge growth spurt

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age of acquisition effect

- you can see when you look at word retrieval (coming up with a word)

- word retrieval happens quicker for words that are already established/ they have acquired earlier and they have a strong connection with the word

Ex words: mom, dad, move, up, cup, bottle, no, siblings name

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family history

research to support genetic influence

- kids that have a difficultly gaming language most likely have a family history

- kids that acquire language quickly, most likely had family members that found it easy too

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assumptions of the nativist theory

- Chomsky

- innate ability to acquire language

- language is acquired quickly and early in life learning alone can not account for acquisition

- words come in around 1 year

- similar experience for all humans; all grammatical rules for organizing language

- different but have rule based language system

- if language was learned you would have a more conscious understanding of what you were doing to produce sentences

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linguistic universals

common features of all languages

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language acquisition device - nativist theory

theoretic place in the brain where language devices are stored

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transformational generative grammar

Chomsky

- unlimited amount of sentences to be created

- phrase structure rules underlying rules of words and phrases

- transformations rearrangement of deep structures as they move to the next level of structure

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phrase structure rules underlying rules of words and phrases

- "deep"

- rules are universal and operate in all languages

- describes the relationship between basic elements of sentences while they are thoughts

- completed before written or spoken

- basic elements of a sentence

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transformations rearrangement of deep structures as they move to the next level of structure

- "surface"

- not universal

- unique to each language

- how deep structures are shaped and organized to make sentences grammatically correct for each language

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deep level

- linguistic universals

- though level

- same for all languages

- LAD holds knowledge

- elements of the thought/sentence

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transformation level

rules are applied to make thoughts grammatically correct for a specific language

- unique to each language

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surface level

what we realize as language

- what makes language, language

- how we communicate with one another

- basic relationships between words we want to say

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deep thought level example

** sees an apple

- original thought "the apple color is __"

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transformation of thought

- resulting in surface structure

- specific to linage

- what color is the apple?

- is the apple red or green?

- what makes it grammatically correct when speaking

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nativist theory challenges

- language is unique to humans

- language acquisition is complete by the age of 5 (language continues to change over a lifetime)

- language models given when addressing children are short/simple and easy to master provided in a manner to promote further learning

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Behaviorist theory

- focus on behaviors/patterns children demonstrate

- says language is learned/response to the environment

- relationships between the environment and language... environment is the most important factor in language development

- language is something we "do" not something we "have"

- behaviors are learned by imitations, reinforcement and successive approximations

Ex: imitations/copying behavior

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behaviorist theory - operant conditioning

- BF Skinner

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operant

any behavior whose frequency can be effected by responses that follow it

EX: saying up and kid picks up toy

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reinforcement

something that increases likelihood that behavior will occur again

- not always positive

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punisher

decrease frequency of behavior

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discriminative stimulus

reminded to perfform

EX: reminding kid to say thank you

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delta stimulus

signal that reinforcement will follow

EX: playing harder for praise that follows performance

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aversive stimulus

warns that there will be an unpleasant consequence for behavior

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shaped behavior

behavior is shaped by response behavior

- shaping behavior for desired behavior

- small Changs in expectations

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chaining

- specific step by step behavior

- Chaining steps of a sequence together

- one step to the next

** helpful to use pictures

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5 functions of conditioned verbal behaviors (Skinner)

echoic

tact

mand

intraverbal

autocratic

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echoic

imitate

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tact

naming of objects, actions or events

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mand

request/demand

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intraverbal

social talk for different situations

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autoclitic

using words/sentences based on observations and experiences

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classical conditioning example

- Pavlov's dog conditioning

- important for vocal growth

- neutral stimulus that is paired with something to hold meaning

- doesn't mean anything until being paired

- neutral stimulus paired with something

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Behaviorist theory - challenges

- James

- imitation

- new utterances that have never been heard

- productions containing incorrect grammar not present in adult model (not true imitation)

- decrease in the amount of imitation after the age of 2 but language changes over the life span

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Interactionist theory

- most CURRENT view

- incorporates biology and environment into language acquisition (learned behavior)

- language is not directly taught but the language input is given

- 3 categories/views (semantic, cognitive, social)

** all 3 cool at nature and nurture

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Interactionist theory- semantic viewpoint

- meaning through grammar

- generate meaning and grammar

- sentences have two parts

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Fillmore's case grammar

modality: sentence characteristics (verb tense)

proposition: relationship between nouns and verbs in sentences

- most important

- determine underlying meanings of sentence

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Filmore's 7 Universal Cases

agentive, dative, experiencer, factitive, instrumental, locative, objective

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agentive

initiator of an action

Ex: Sam(N) kicked(V) his friend

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dative

animate object of person being affected by verb

EX: Sam gave(V) him(N) a bruise

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experiencer

animate object or person that experience the verb

EX: Bob(N) cried(V) when he was kicked

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Factitive

Object that is the product of the action

EX: He kicked(V) the anthill(N)

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instrumental

inanimate object that causes the action

EX: the kickball(N) broke (V) the window

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locative

place where the verb occurs

EX: he kicked (V) the ball at the park (N)

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objective

noun phrase is determined by the meaning of the verb

EX: Sam kicked (V) the ball to me (N)

** noun determines the verb that's used

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interactionist theory - cognitive viewpoint

- associated with Piaget's cognitive theory

- languages emerges as a result of cognitive organization and development

- see language skills increase, the cognitive skills increase

- language is developed with the purpose to form concepts, remember them and manipulate them for thinking and talking; provides a logical structure for communication

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cognition and language correlations

symbolic play, problem solving, imitation

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symbolic play

ability to understand and words represent things (nouns)

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problem solving

use language to get things done, work with others, how do I solve problem?

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imitation

learning new cognitive skills, imitating

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information processing theory

attempts to relate structure and function

- think of lang acq as a computer processor

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competition model

- bates and Whinney)

- function generates structure using our information processing system

- gathers info, puts it into a code, reads the code, holds it in memory, and allows for retrieval when needed

- when enough language evidence is gathered changes are made to the information processing system

differentiating different objects (cows and horses)

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Parallel distributed processing (Ex of competition model)

experience activities and strengthens connections; others weaken and fade away

- the more we experience something the stronger it becomes, the less, the weaker

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interactionist theory ...

includes both extreme viewpoints (nativists and behaviorist)

- biological basic for language acquisition

- learns langue creativity using the biological means they are born with

- accounts for variations among language development in children (varying experiences cause different connections in the way information is processed/used)

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social interactionism

both biological and environmental factors are important

- occurs due to early social interactions (social interaction between child and caregiver)

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language acquisition support structure (LASS)

children communicate socially before they are able to produce language

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zone of proximal development

how adults provide model is just out of reach; one step harder to keep child learning or changing to make steady progress

EX: putting toy where child can't reach it yet

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communicative intent

have to have this to communicate

- intent that leads to child to responding to wants/ needs

- they have to want to talk to you

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moterease/parent ease

adaptations adults make when talking to kids

EX: baby talk

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expansion

- social viewpoint

- adult repeats what child says but adds additional words or structures to do

EX: kid- "I go out" parents- "I want to go out to eat"

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interactionist theory speech act theory

- idea that utterances are used to "get things done"

- every speech act consists of 3 parts

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locutionary act

expression of words

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illocutionary act

motive/purpose

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direct speech act

direct comment/request

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indirect speech act

"its really not in here"; motive behind speech without just saying it

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perlocutionary act

comment/utterance; affect on listener

- how they take what was said

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communication breakdown

taking it in a way that wasn't intended/intent of what was said

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interactionist theory overview

- langue development is a product of nature and nurture (environment and learning)

- view the child as an active participant

- child's communication attempts are met with adult feedback and the child responds