Hybrid theory of language development

Reply To The Six Discussion Posts.

Responses should be a minimum of one short paragraph and a maximum of two paragraphs. Post 100-200 words for each response. Give evidence and reasoning for your answers, DO NOT JUST AGREE WITH THE DISCUSSION. GIVE REASONING! citing the text or other resources when possible

· Responses should be a minimum of one short paragraph and a maximum of two paragraphs. Post 100-200 words for each response.

· Give evidence and reasoning for your answers, DO NOT JUST AGREE WITH THE DISCUSSION. GIVE REASONING! citing the text or other resources when possible.

Cynthia Green

Week Three, Discussion 1

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Week Three, Discussion 1

Theories of Language Learning (p.182-187)

How did you learn to talk?

How have your children learned language or languages?

Your explanation - your theory - may mirror some professional explanations about this miraculous human talent. Four theories are presented in your text.

How do the basic four theories of language learning differ?

Name the theories and their main concepts.

Explain each theory in your own words, as if explaining it to a new parent who wants to know what they can expect.

What might enhance an infants' learning to talk? What inhibits learning to talk?

(Katherine Nelson wrote some interesting articles about this. See if you can find one!)

According to my mom, the family would always talk, sing, and read to me from a very early age. But my biggest influence was my older sister. I learned to talk by watching and playing with her. She understood my cooing and baby babble and helped me turn it into language. This type of learning is an example of the social-pragmatic theory in which children develop language by social learning. The social-pragmatic approach to word learning argues that children do not need specifically linguistic constraints to learn words, but rather what they need are flexible and powerful social-cognitive skills that allow them to understand the communicative intentions of others in a wide variety of interactive situations.

Likewise, my two children learned to talk by a variety of techniques. One method I used to develop language in my kids was to teach them. I had the idea that if I wanted my children to be able to communicate later in life then I needed to talk to my babies. Associating objects with words was one way in which I taught my children language; giving verbal praise after close approximations.This method is an example of the first theory that infants need to be taught. This theory infants need to be taught is a behaviorist approach. According to Berger (2012) this theory is the idea that “all learning is acquired, step by step, through association and reinforcement” (p.182).

Another theory of language learning is social impulses foster infant language; also called the social-pragmatic theory. The perspective of the social-pragmatic theory is that “infants communicate because humans are social beings” (Berger, 2012, p.184). The third theory is that infants teach themselves. The theory of infants teaching themselves was theorized by Noam Chomsky that suggests language is innate (Berger, 2012). Chomsky hypothesis of language acquisition device (LAD) implies that language is in our genes.

Finally, the hybrid theory suggests that the other three theories combined is how children learn language. This is an evolutionary perspective on language acquisition. Research suggests that one single theory cannot explain how infants learn, but rather according to Golinkoff & Hirsh-pasek (2008) language is learned from “perceptual, social and linguistic abilities” (as cited in Berger, 2012, p.186).

Nelson & Scarr (1981) argue that children have individual differences, and therefore learn language differently.A few factors that may influence children’s language development include: “individual makeup, type of input, type of speech expected by the environment, and perception of speech function” (Nelson & Scarr, 1981, p.179). Environmental conditions, such as how a caregiver communicates with the child or infant can influence how language is developed. One method to enhance an infant's ability to learn to talk is through habituation. According to Berger (2012) “habituation refers to getting accustomed to an experience after repeated exposure” (p.167). Using this method, the infant is presented one stimulus repeatedly until there is a loss of interest in the stimuli. After the infant loses interest, then another stimulus is presented. Research indicates that learning this way, an infant can tell the difference between two similar sounds (Berger, 2012). If the infant is not exposed to stimuli enough, then learning is diminished.

References

Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood and adolescence (9th ed.).

New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Nelson, K., & Scarr, Sandra. (1981). Individual differences in language development: Implications for development and language. Developmental Psychology, 17(2), 170-187. https://doi-org.nuls.idm.oclc.org/10.1037/0012-1649.17.2.170

20 hours ago

Jennifer Trento

Week 3 Discussion 1

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I think, like all other children, that I learned how to talk from my mom and siblings talking to me or them talking to each other while I was in the room observing the noises that were coming from their mouths. Our reading this week stated that infants begin learning language before birth, via brain organization and hearing (Berger, 2012). Before my daughter learned how to talk, I made sure to talk to her every chance that I got. I found it so interesting how when they are learning they make such hungry eye contact as if to be responding back with their eyes.

The basic four theories of language learning differ by having different opinions on how researchers believe that infants learn language. The first theory is that infants are directly taught language by their parents or their caregivers. This theory suggests that parents are the expert teachers, using frequent repetition of sounds of words as well as object association. The second theory is referred to as social-pragmatic. This theory suggests that infants learn to talk because humans were made to be social and dependent on one another for survival and happiness. The third theory suggests that infants teach themselves how to communicate. Researchers believe that parents do not even need to teach them anything and that infants are born with the ability to search for the knowledge they need to learn how to communicate on their own. The last theory is known as the hybrid theory. This theory suggests that all of the theories combined is how infants learn language.

It has been proven that infants respond to “baby talk” as well as repetition of words and creating relationships between words help infants create pictures these words. Professor Anne Fernald, a developmental psychologist at Stanford University, said “chatting with infants helped them grasp the rules and rhythms of language at an early age and provided them with a foundation to build up an understanding of how the world worked” (Sample, 2014). She also suggests that parents should do more than just use baby talk around their infants because using rich and complex language will help them in learning the complex structure of language. "Children cannot learn what they don't hear," she said.

Sample, I. (2014, February 14). Talking to babies boosts their brain power, studies show. Retrieved March 18, 2019, from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/feb/14/talking-to-babies-brain-power-language

Crystal Cane

WEEK 3 DISCUSSION 2

Language Acquisition

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I can’t remember how I learned to talk but I’m assuming that I learned to talk by my parents talking to me. How they talked and their expressions molded my speech and language skills. As an adult I notice that there are times, more often than some, that I will sound like my Mother or I sound like my Father. My mannerisms in my speech were developed by observing how my parents spoke to me.

Now when it comes to my children, I have noticed a differences in how they speak. My first born was the only child for 5 years and the majority of time he only spoke to me or his grandparents. So the majority of his speech development was spent talking to individuals who already had a highly developed speech and articulation. This led my son to becoming very articulate at a young age, as well as having a very extensive vocabulary at a young age. Even though he was around children his age, his language mannerisms were developed by listening to adults speak. The text describes a naming explosion as “A sudden increase in an infant’s vocabulary, especially in the number of nouns, that begins at about 18 months of age.” (Berger, 2012) My son experienced this at around 12 months. By 8 months he was already babbling words and I feel this was because the way I spoke to him.

According to the text, there are four theories of language learning. They include the theory that infants need to be taught, social impulses foster language, infants teach themselves, and the Hybrid theory. The theory that infants need to be taught is based on the core ideas of parents being expert teachers, frequent repetition is instructive and well-taught infants become well-spoken children. Berger states that “ Parents of the most verbal children teach language throughout infancy-singing, explaining, listening, responding, and reading to them every day, even before age 1,” (Berger, 2012) The second theory of social impulses or social-pragmatic is based on the idea that humans are social-beings therefore will communicate because of their need to survive. The third theory is that infants teach themselves. The text describes this as “The universal human impulse to imitate” (Berger, 2012). This theory was developed on Noam Chomsky’s hypothesized mental structure labeled the Language acquisition device or LAD. “Chomsky’s term for a hypothesized mental structure that enables humans to learn language, including the basic aspects of grammar, vocabulary, and intonation” (Berger, 2012). However there is no solid information that can back this theory up. According to the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the Language Sciences, “No comprehensive theory of language acquisition exists, that is, no theory would fully account for all logically necessary aspects of LAD”. (Lust, 2011)The final theory is the Hybrid theory. This theory suggests that all three theories are correct. Berger suggests that “the idea that every theory is correct in some way may seem almost idealistic. However, a similar conclusion was arrived at by a scientists extending and interpreting research on language acquisition” (Berger, 2012).

A child who is spoken to often can enhance an infants’ ability to learn to talk. As I had mentioned previously, infants learn to speak when they are spoken too regularly. However, in Katherine Nelson’s article titled First Steps in Language Acquisition, she claims it’s a combination of a couple things. She states, “Two aspects of language are inseparable in practice but are often separated in theory, namely, it’s cognitive basis- the expression of ideas in a symbolic system- and its social base, involving the communication of those ideas to others” (Nelson, 1977). In other words an infants’ cognitive ability to speak is a factor as well as being spoken to and both enhance an infants’ ability to learn to talk.

Children’s speech is inhibited by a couple of factors. Oral-motor problems which is a physical defect that could affect how their mouth produces sounds. Another inhibitor could be hearing issues because kids who have trouble hearing often have trouble articulating and understanding words.

Works Cited
Berger, K. S. (2012). The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence. New York: Worth Publishers.

Lust, B. (2011). Acquisition of Language. In Cambridge Encyclopedia of the Language Sciences.

Nelson, k. (1977). First Steps in Language Acquisition. Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 563-583.

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Jessica Chavez

Week Three Discussion 2

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Adolescent egocentrism is a characteristic of adolescent thinking that leads young people (ages 10 to 13) to focus on themselves to the exclusion of others. Early childhood egocentrism is children’s tendency to think about the world entirely from their personal perspective. “Teenagers who have problems such as delinquency, aggression, and eating disorders, it may increase again at the start of college (Berger, 440).” Some adolescents regard themselves as unique, special, and much more socially significant. “As an aspect of egocentrism, acute self-consciousness about one’s physical appearance is probably more prevalent between ages 10 and 14 than earlier or later (Berger, 440).” I have always cared about the way I look since I was a young child, however when I was around the age of 12 I felt somewhat self-conscious. I really cared about the way that I looked in my clothes. However, I realized that it always isn’t about looks. I learned to love my body the way it is.

Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood and adolescence (9th ed.).

New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

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2 hours ago

Yesenia Reyes

Egocentrism

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Egocentrism as Berger (2012 p. 258) states, literally means self-centeredness, but it is not selfishness. In childhood, children are egocentric because they only understand their own perspective (Berger, 2012). Children view the world exclusively in their own perspective. Berger (2012) gives the example of a 3-year old child that gifts his mom a toy train (wrapped and all); he genuinely expects his mother to like the gift and did not gift it for selfish/greedy reasons.

In adolescence, “young people center many of their thoughts on themselves, in part because maturation of the brain heightens self-consciousness” (Berger, 2012 p. 440). There are two aspects of thought that form what is called adolescent egocentrism. The first is that adolescents think intesely about themselves and the other is that they care intensely about what others think of them (Berger, 2012). A consequence of this characteristic is that it leads many adolescents to interpret others’ behavior as if it were a judgment on who they are

I myself can see how I was egocentric as an adolescent. Reading up on the different aspects of egocentrism, I can relate personal experience to both. When I was young, I told myself that I was going to be a millionaire and help take care of my parents when they were old. I also thought I was going to win the lottery when I grew up. That, as I have learned, falls under the personal fable belief which if the belief that we are unique and destined to have a heroic, fabled or legendary life. These goals are really unrealistic, especially when they don’t involve an actual plan. I also dabbled a bit into the invincibility fable which made me think that nothing can harm me including but not limited to some things Berger (2012) mentioned: unprotected sex, high-speed driving.

Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood and adolescence. New York, N.Y: Worth Publishers.