2.2 The behaviourist perspective: Say what I say
• The time frame of the theory is the 1940s and 1950s.
• The behaviorist theory in psychology is advocated by B.F. Skinner.
• The behaviorists hypothesized that children are born with a blank slate, then they IMITATE the language produced by those around him.
• What they reproduce receives ‘positive reinforcement’ that strengthens the correct response. The positive reinforcement could be a reward, praise, or just successful communication.
• By reinforcing and encouraging the correct response, the children continue to imitate and practice it till becomes habitual forming a 'habit' of correct language use.
• According to this theory, the environment is the source of child language learning: the quality and the quantity of the language the child hears, and the consistency of the reinforcement offered by others in the environment.
The question is, are the child imitations and practices determined by the environment? Don't they reflect something inside the child?
Can behaviorism provide a satisfactory explanation for the acquisition of more complex grammar that children acquire?