CLA - Spoken - Key Theorists

Question 1

Outline skinners theory

Answer 1

-adults explicitly modelling or teaching language, and children responding (positive and negative reinforcement)
-children imitating/repeating adults speech
-children learning or repairing mistakes after correction from adults

Question 2

Chomsky theory

Answer 2

-children doing more than simply imitating adults speech
-virtuous errors (e.g. over/under extension/ overgeneralisation) suggest that children are actively constructing language according to unconscious model of how language works
-children simply resisting or not responding to correction from adults
-adults/older children not being perfect models of language use (poverty of stimulus)

Question 3

Piagets theory

Answer 3

-Childs language is egocentric
-children can’t be taught before there ready
-children use language to express tenses showing an understanding of of the concept of past/future before they start using the past tense
-children use comparatives/superlatives to show they have understood concept of seriation

Question 4

Burners theory (features of CDS)

Answer 4

-Children clearly enjoying/benefitting from their interaction
-parents reinforcing their child’s attempts to speak by responding in an encouraging and positive way. (Connects with skinner)
-adult caregivers using features of CDS
-LASS- convo skills (discourse structure) e.g. turn taking/adjacency pairs) and pragmatic awareness (politeness/register) being taught through interaction between child and adult

Question 5

Vygotsky theory

Answer 5

—children modelling or correcting another child’s use of language and concepts (MKO)
- a child receives support that enables them to do more than they would normally linguistically - showing their ZPD