Thursday, 19 September 2013
How does Piaget's theory on linguistic development support the type and order of words a child uses?
Piaget's theory of the four cognitive processes supports the type and order of words a child uses, this links in to Katherine Nelson's research which showed that a child's first words could be split into four groups: naming, action, social and personal and describing and modifying. A child's first stage of language is naming concrete nouns; seeing what is in front of them and attaching a name to the object. Piaget describes this as the sensorimotor stage, as the child approaches the age of 2 and begins to recognise objects for their colour or shape. As time goes on, a child will begin to use "action" words, such as "more" or "whack", this helps them receive a response and a greater understanding of interaction and conversation.
Thursday, 12 September 2013
Child Language Acquisition - Theorists and their beliefs
Noam Chomsky - Nativist
Chomsky theory is that language acquisition is an innate structure and function of the brain.
Optimal learning age
Between the ages of 3-10, a child is most likely to fluently learn a language, after this age it can be considered almost impossible for a child to completely grasp a language, this is why education systems are often criticized for teaching second languages in secondary schools, not primary schools.
Chomsky believes that a child does not persuasion to begin language acquisition, the parent does not need to prompt the child to speak, if around language production, the child will work to produce language independently through development.
B.F Skinner
The theory that praise causes progress. Skinner believes that positive reinforcement when a child is learning to speak is of high significance. He proposed that language could be categorised by the way it was reinforced. Skinner views the child as the "passive subject of operant conditioning in whom randomly occurring behavior is selectively reinforced"
Jerome Bruner
Bruner believes there are three stages to child language acquisiton.
1.Enactive (0-1 years)
This involved action based information and muscle memory e.g. a baby might remember the action of shaking a rattle.
2.Iconic (1-6 years)
Where information is stored visually in the form of images. Mental images can help children learn, e.g. diagrams and images beside verbal information will be easier to remember.
3.Symbolic (7+)
Where information is stored in the form of a symbol or a code e.g. language.
Bruner's constructivist theory
Suggests it is effective when faced with new material to follow a progression from enactive to iconic to symbolic representation; this holds true even for adult learners. Bruner's work also suggests that a learner even of a very young age is capable of learning any material so long as the instruction is organized appropriately.
Jean Piaget - cognitive
"Children construct an understanding of the world around them, then experience discrepancies between what they already know and what they discover in their environment."
Chomsky theory is that language acquisition is an innate structure and function of the brain.
Optimal learning age
Between the ages of 3-10, a child is most likely to fluently learn a language, after this age it can be considered almost impossible for a child to completely grasp a language, this is why education systems are often criticized for teaching second languages in secondary schools, not primary schools.
Chomsky believes that a child does not persuasion to begin language acquisition, the parent does not need to prompt the child to speak, if around language production, the child will work to produce language independently through development.
B.F Skinner
The theory that praise causes progress. Skinner believes that positive reinforcement when a child is learning to speak is of high significance. He proposed that language could be categorised by the way it was reinforced. Skinner views the child as the "passive subject of operant conditioning in whom randomly occurring behavior is selectively reinforced"
Jerome Bruner
Bruner believes there are three stages to child language acquisiton.
1.Enactive (0-1 years)
This involved action based information and muscle memory e.g. a baby might remember the action of shaking a rattle.
2.Iconic (1-6 years)
Where information is stored visually in the form of images. Mental images can help children learn, e.g. diagrams and images beside verbal information will be easier to remember.
3.Symbolic (7+)
Where information is stored in the form of a symbol or a code e.g. language.
Bruner's constructivist theory
Suggests it is effective when faced with new material to follow a progression from enactive to iconic to symbolic representation; this holds true even for adult learners. Bruner's work also suggests that a learner even of a very young age is capable of learning any material so long as the instruction is organized appropriately.
Jean Piaget - cognitive
"Children construct an understanding of the world around them, then experience discrepancies between what they already know and what they discover in their environment."
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