Theoretical Perspectives

1. Nature

1.1. What we get from the environment.

2. Interactionist

2.1. A child's language learning is influenced by his/her desire to communicate with others (Morrison, 2009).

2.2. The child is plays an active role in acquiring language (Otto, 2010).

2.3. Social and cultural influences primarily form language (Otto, 2010).

2.4. Theory also focuses on the process rather than the product of language (Otto, 2010).

2.5. Interactionists Lev Vygotsky and Jerome Bruner argued that language development is both biological and social (Morrison, 2009).

2.6. Vygotsky

2.6.1. Bruner

2.7. References Morrison, G.S. (2009). Early childhood education today. (11th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Otto, B. (2010). Language development in early childhood (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill

3. Cognitive Interactionist

3.1. Piaget

3.2. Cognitive Interactionists such as Jean Piaget, believed that development results from interaction and transactions between children and their social and physical environments and children build cognitive development through active learning (Bickhard, 1997).

3.3. Piaget's theory is based on cognitive development and set into motion by the process of maturation. He believed that children could not achieve certain milestones until they were psychologically mature enough to do so (Morrison, 2009).

3.4. Believed that all children progress through four prescribed stages of development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational (Bickard, 1997).

3.5. Active involvement if fundamental to Piaget's theory as are the concepts of adaptation, schemes, assimilation, accommodation and equilibrium (Morrison, 2009).

3.6. References Bickard, M.H. (1997). Piget and Active Cognition. Human Development 40(4), 238-244. Retrieved March 8, 2012 from Reasearch Library. (Document ID: 17465632). Morrison, G.S. (2009). Early childhood education today. (11th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson

4. Behaviorist

4.1. Skinner

4.2. Behavior theorist B.F. Skinner’s key contribution to psychology was his operant conditioning theory- learning occurs when environmental consequences occur as a result of a specific behavior (Otto, 2010).

4.3. Argued that children are born a "blank slate" and are influence by stimuli, responses and reinforcements that occur in the environment (Otto, 2010).

4.4. Gave emphasis to the role of “nurture” on language development (Otto, 2010).

4.5. Otto, B. (2010). Language development in early childhood (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill

5. Nativist

5.1. Chomsky

5.2. Nativist Perspective is based on the belief that language development is innate in humans (Otto, 2010).

5.3. One of the leading theorists connected with the nativist perspective, Noam Chomsky argued that humans inherently have the ability to obtain language due to cognitive structures that process language differently than other stimuli (Otto, 2010).

5.4. Devised a rule system for using language called universal grammar that explains the human ability to learn a culture's specific language(Otto, 2010).

5.5. Believed that humans are born with a language specific mechanism called language acquisition device, commonly referred to as LAD. This devise helps humans learn language (Otto,2010).

5.6. Otto, B. (2010). Language development in early childhood (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill

6. Nurture

6.1. What we are born with.