Language Development: Theoretical Perspectives

1. Cognitive Developmentalist

1.1. Jean Piaget (1896-1980)

1.2. Nature

1.3. For language to develop, specific cognitive development must occur first

1.4. Object permanence

1.5. Use of symbols

1.6. Schemata Development

1.7. Semantic, Morphemic

2. Behaviorist

2.1. BF Skinner (1904-1990)

2.2. Nurture

2.3. Learning in based on stimuli

2.4. Children are "blank slates"

2.5. Language is taught through situations of imitation

2.6. Operant Conditioning

2.7. Semantic, Syntactic, Morphemic

3. Nativist

3.1. Noam Chomsky (1928-present)

3.2. Nature

3.3. Universal grammar

3.4. Discovery of language structure

3.5. LAD- Language Acquisition Device

3.6. Children use hypothesis testing

3.7. Syntactic

4. Interactionist

4.1. Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934), Jerome Bruner (1915-present), MAK Halliday (1925-present)

4.2. Sociocultural interaction

4.3. Language as a process, not a product

4.4. Builds on previous three theoretical perspectives

4.5. Children intentionally expand effort

4.6. LASS- Language Acquisition Support System

4.7. Pragmatic