comparison and differentite of behaviorist theory and nativist theory paper no 12 elt

comparison and differentiate of behaviorist theory and nativist theory

Name : gohil hetalba

Std    : m.a. -  ii   sem – iii

Sub   :  paper no 12 ( elt)

Topic : comparison and differentiate  of behaviorist theory and nativist theory on learning and acquisition .

Roll no : 08

Submitted to : dept. of English

                      Maharaja Krishna kumarsinhji Bhavnagar university

Year : 2013 – 2014

There are some basic advanced to describe how language is acquired learnt and taught. The behaviorist theory Mentalist theory , Rationalist theory and Interactionism, Native theory are some of these theories.

      The behaviorist theory and mentalist theory are mainly applicable to the acquisition of native languages. While the rest can account for foreign language acquisition. The theories are complementary to each other.

  Native language growth must pave the way for foreign language growth. The basic theories are fundamental pillars of language learning. Whose relevance to education is undeniable.

 “Infants learn oral language from other human role models through a process involving, imitation, rewards, and practice. Human role models in an infant’s environment provide the stimuli and rewards.”

               _ Cooter and Reutzel, 2004

When a child attempts oral language or imitates the sounds or speech patterns they are usually praised and given affection for their efforts.

 Behaviorist theory is basically a Psychological theory. It was founded by J.B. Watson, is actually a theory of a native language learning advanced in part as a reaction to traditional grammar. Leonard Bloomfield, O.N. Mowrer, B.F. Skinner, A.W. Staats. Behaviorism was advanced in America as a new approach. It was based on verbal behavior. Educational world gave him considerable response.

  The Nativist theory is where it is believed that we have an inborn ability to learn and learning is in our genetics. N. Chomsky did many researches on this and has the greatest influence on this theory.

Nativist theory can be interpreted as under :

Advocating the perpetuation of native societies. “ the old nativist prejudice against the foreign businessman”, the nativistc faith preaches the old values.

              _ C.K. Kluckhohn.

Nativist is of or relating to or advocating nativism, nativist theories the traditional controversy between the nativistc and empiristic theories.

 The nativistc theory with the biological belief that language is an innate feature of the infant. Researcher Noam Chomsky is a firm advocate for this theory. He gave the idea of a language organ which is called the Language Acquisition Device (LAD). Other researchers have discredited Chomsky’s theories.

The behaviorist theory depends on the analysis of human behavior in observable stimulus response interaction and the association between them. Thorndike was the first behaviorist to explore the area that learning is the establishment of associations on particular process of behavior and consequences of that behavior. The behaviorist theory is a theory of stimulus – response psychology.

  “ Through a trial and error process in which acceptable utterances are reinforced by comprehension and approval an unacceptable utterances are inhibited by the lack of reward, he gradually learns to make finer and finer discrimination until his utterances  approximate more and more closely the speech of the community in which he is growing up.”

                         _ Wilga M Rivers

 A highly complex learning task can be learned by being broken down into small habits. The acquisition of learning in infancy is governed by the acquisition of other habits.

             The nativist theory tells us that language does not develop quickly. According to the Nativist theory it is more gradual process. Also this theory does not put into account the many different languages spoken throughout the world. Nativist theory deals with the development processes most closely associated with initial language acquisition.

 Acquisition of language is the study of the process by which a person learns a language. Nativist theories hypothesize that language is an innate fundamental part of the human genetic make – up and that language acquisition occurs as a natural part of the human experience.

 Nativists believe that children are born with an innate ability to organize laws of language which enables children to easily learn a native language. They believe that the children have specific language ability which assists them as the move ahead. This idea is often contrasted to the behaviorist perspectives of Skinner and Watson.

Some principles operating on behaviorism:

Ø Behaviorist theory dwells on the language that is spoken.

Ø  Behaviorist theory is the habit formation theory of language teaching and learning reminding us the learning of structural grammar.

Ø The stimulus response chain, S – R, is pure case of conditioning. Behaviorist learning theory emphasizes conditioning and building from the simplest conditioned responses to more and more complex behaviors.

Ø  Positive reinforcement is reward while negative reinforcement is punishment.

Ø  Each person can learn equally if the conditions in which the learning takes place are the same for each person.

                

             Some limitation of Nativist theories are:

Language doesn't develop as forecast by Nativists. This theory does not put different language spoken in account. It is somewhat in contrast with the behaviorist theory. The process of language acquisition in children is constrained.

The theorist  of nativism believes that it is difficult to explain how children within the first five years of life routinely master the complex and puzzling grammar and the rules of the native language. Other scholars however resisted the possibility that infants routine success at acquiring the grammar of their native language requires anything more than forms of learning.

  Basic strategies of language learning within the scope of behaviorist theory are imitation reinforcement and rewarding. In behaviorist theory the process of learning relies more on generalization rewarding condition three of which support the development of analogical learning in children objection made on instinctively based learning will doubtlessly harm the creative way of learning . Behaviorist theory does not explain social influence rate on a learn equally well in the same conditions in which learning takes place. This theory is useful for the most part on animal experimentation and learning.

  It can be concluded for behaviorist theory that as learning process  is complex language acquisition cannot take place through habit formation. Behaviorist theory aims at discovering behavioral justification for designing language teaching in certain ways being a hub of many language teaching and learning theories .

 Now if we talk about the nativist theory the debate surrounding the nativist theory is in the center on whether the inborn capabilities are language specific or domain general such as those that enable the infant to usually make sense of the world in terms of objects and action.  The anti nativist view has many strands  but a frequent theme is that language emerges from usage in social contexts , using learning mechanisms that are a part of a general cognitive learning apparatus.