Theories and theorists of child language acquisition: Practice Questions

In the context of Behaviourism, which process involves a parent praising a child for correctly naming an object, thereby increasing the likelihood of the child repeating that word?

According to Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory, what cognitive milestone must a child typically reach before they begin to use words to represent objects that are not present?

Critiques of Piaget's view of language acquisition often point to children with 'Chatterbox Syndrome' (Williams Syndrome), who have low cognitive abilities but high linguistic fluency. This evidence is most often used to support which claim?

Which theorist is most closely associated with the Cognitive Development Theory, suggesting that language acquisition is a product of a child's general intellectual growth?

Lev Vygotsky’s theory of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is fundamental to which broader theoretical approach to child language acquisition?

Identify the key component of B.F. Skinner’s theory that explains how children learn to repeat correct grammatical structures through parental rewards.

How does Jean Piaget’s concept of seriation (the ability to arrange objects in order) relate to a child’s transition from the telegraphic stage to more complex syntactic structures?

A child says "I sawed the mans at the park."

Analyze this utterance from a Nativist perspective, explaining how it serves as evidence against the Behaviourist view of pure imitation.

Different theories attempt to explain how children acquire language so rapidly in their early years, often debating the roles of nature versus nurture.

(a) Identify the main proponent of Behaviourism in language acquisition and explain the specific role of positive reinforcement in this theory.

(b) State one criticism of the Behaviourist approach based on the phenomenon of virtuous errors (overgeneralisation), explaining why these errors challenge the idea of simple imitation.

In the study of child language acquisition, the Social Interactionist theory (proposed by theorists like Jerome Bruner) and the Behaviorist theory (proposed by B.F. Skinner) offer different explanations for how children learn to speak.

(a) Define the term scaffolding within the context of Bruner’s Language Acquisition Support System (LASS).
(b) Explain one way in which the Social Interactionist view challenges the Behaviorist reliance on imitation and reinforcement.
(c) Describe how Child-Directed Speech (CDS) serves as a practical application of the Social Interactionist perspective.