Theoretical Perspectives

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BEHAVIORIST—Emphasizes the role of nurture; considers a child a blank slate; learning occurs due to a result of associations between stimuli, responses and events. Language is taught through situations where children are encouraged to imitate others’ speech and develop associations between words and objects. B. F. Skinner is associated with this behavior.

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NATIVIST—Emphasizes the role of nature; contends all people inherently have the capacity to acquire language due to cognitive structures that process language differently from other stimuli. Linguist Noam Chomsky is associated with this perspective.

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COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENTALIST—Emphasizes the role of nature; no unique language mechanism; cognitive development is a prerequisite and foundation for language learning; object permanence important precursor to language development. Jean Piaget is associated with this perspective.

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INTERACTIONIST—emphasizes the role of nurture; language development influenced by the society in which the individual lives; focuses on process of language development instead of the product. L. Vygotsky is associated with this perspective.