behaviorists second language acquisition.doc

behaviorists, “learning occurs as a result of the consequences of behavior.”B.F. Skinner Viewpoint: LL is a kind of behavior similar to other human behavior. Language is learnt in much the same way as anything else is learnt. Key point : Language as Habit Language Learning = Habit FormationCriticisms of behaviorist learning theory 1) overemphasize the external factors 2) ignore the internal factor, i.e. the role of learner himself3) overemphasize the role of imitationThe Innatist approach 1. viewpoint:Childrens ability to learn a language is innate. 2.Chomskys Universal grammarHow children acquire a language: What Children receive: Degenerate input .Lack of negative evidence. Poverty of stimulus . But :Children can learn quickly, and effortlessly2 UG differs from the special grammar which is language specific. It differs from the grammar of English, Chinese, etc. As such, it does not belong to a specific language. UG means the human capacity, i.e., the initial state, allowing one to learn a language. The initial state of a language learner is biologically determined.Innate UG is built into the human mind. It does not necessarily mean that UG is present at birth or in an embryo. It rather means that it automatically appears during the development, regardless on whether it is present at birth or not. 对比Behaviorism It holds the view that language learning is similar to the learning of other thingsIt attaches great importance to the role of language input Innativism Language learning is different from the learning of other things; Were born with a kind of faculty which is unique to LL。 holds that input is needed, but only to trigger the operation of the UGCritical Period Hypothesis (CPH) There is a biological time table for language learning. Critical point for language learning occurs around puberty (Lenneberg 1967)Evidence:Recovery from brain damage. Genie & other feral children, also hearing impaired children with no language exposure until school age or later exhibit incomplete language acquisition. As of yet, there is no one theory of language development which: Is universally accepted as the explanation for first language development, or Explains all aspects of language development: syntax, morphology, semantics, phonology, and pragmatics. Contributions of Nativism i) able to explore the unseen, observable, underlying, abstract linguistic structures being developed in the child )systematic description of the childs linguistic repertoire as rule-governed i) the construction of a number of potential properties of UGWeakness of NativismThe innatists placed too much emphasis on the “final state” (i.e. the linguistic competence of adult native speakers), but not enough on the developmental aspects of language acquisition. hard to find out the nature of LAD/UGdifficult to observe LAD/UGInteractionist/developmental PerspectivesThis position views that language develops as a result of the interplay between the innate learning ability of children and the environment in which they develop. Developmental psychologists attribute more importance to the environment than the innatists, though they also recognize a powerful learning mechanism in the human brain.Piagets Theory What children know (cognition development) will determine what they learn about the code for both speaking and understanding messages (language development)Piagets Stages of Cognitive DevelopmentAccording to Piaget, a childs development progresses through 4 qualitative stages and an invariant developmental sequence-universal pattern of development, which are: The Sensorimotor Stage (Birth to 2 Years)The Preoperational Stage (2 to 7 Years)The Concrete-Operational Stage (7 to 11 Years)The Formal-Operational Stage (11-12 Years and Beyond) Theory: 1 He argued that the developing cognitive understanding is built on the interaction between the child and the things which can be observed, touched, and manipulated. 2 Language can be used to represent knowledge that children have acquired through physical interaction with the environment.3 Children can only use certain linguistic structures when they understand fully the concepts surrounding them (e.g., the use of words as “bigger” or “more” depends on childrens understanding of the concepts they represent.) An Evaluation of Piagets TheoryPiagets ContributionsFounded the discipline we know today as cognitive development.Convinced us that children are curious, active explorers who play an important role in their own development.His theory was one of the first to explain, and not just describe, the process of development.His description of broad sequences of intellectual development provides a reasonably accurate overview of how children of different ages think.Piagets ideas have had a major influence on thinking about social and emotional development as well as many practical implications for educators.Piaget asked important questions and drew literally thousands of researchers to the study of cognitive development. Challenges to Piagets cognitive developmental theory:Underestimated developing mindsFailed to distinguish competence from performanceIt is believed by some that Cognitive development does not evolve in a qualitative and stage like manner- it tends to develop graduallyProvides a vague explanation on cognitive maturation Devoted little attention to social and cultural influences Vygotskys Theory an emergent theory that holds that development results from the dynamic interaction between each person and the surrounding social and cultural forces Who we become depends on the company we keep and what we do and say togetherImportant Aspects of Sociocultural Theory1 Individual cognitive development occurs as a result of social processes cannot be separable from social interactions. 2 Joint productive activities are where learning takes place novices and experts working together toward a common goal. 3 The “zone of proximal development” (ZPD) is the conceptual development that is just out of reach of a childs current independent performance, but which s/he can reach with assistance