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."