1
SECOND LANGUAGE THEORIES
BEHAVIORIST THEORIES (INCLUDING THE CONTRASTIVE
ANALYSIS HYPOTHESIS)
• Behaviorists: Pavlov, Skinner, and Bruner
• Definition: It is the theory saying human and animal learning are similar.
• Reinforcement: L2 learning is achieved through reinforcement that is a kind of award
or positive response given to students after their demonstration of L2.
• Stimulus-response: All learning takes places as learners receive linguistic input from
speakers in their environment. Stimulus=input, response=students’ L2 responses
• Tabula Rasa: Child’s mind is seen as a blank sheet that is a place for new input
coming from child’s environment.
• Habit Formation (Conditioning / Associative Learning): Learner form associations
between words and objects or events in their environment. These associations become
stronger as soon as experiences are repeated. If the encouragement for correct
imitations is provided the learner forms habits. This formation has three types: