Criticisms against Behaviorism and CAH

Summary

The script discusses criticisms against behaviorism in language learning, highlighting that children often overgeneralize rules rather than imitating adults. It points out that language acquisition isn't solely through imitation or reinforcement, as children continue making errors despite corrections. The 'poverty of the stimulus' argument is introduced, questioning how children discern grammatical structures from incomplete language inputs. The script also addresses similarities in errors made by first language learners and second language learners, challenging the contrastive analysis hypothesis. It concludes that language learning is complex and counterintuitive, urging a practical approach over mere speculation.

Takeaways

• 📚 Behaviorism and audio-lingualism have been criticized for their ineffectiveness in teaching English properly.
• 👶 Overgeneralization in language learning is evident as children create words like 'tooths' and 'holded', indicating they apply rules rather than imitate.
• 🗣️ Early language learning involves some imitation, especially in pronunciation, but not entirely.
• 👂 Children continue to make errors in speech even after correction, suggesting learning isn't solely through reinforcement.
• 👨‍👧 Parents rarely correct their children's grammar; corrections usually focus on pronunciation or factual errors.
• 🧠 Children's grammatical knowledge can't be fully explained by their environment, which often exposes them to broken or incomplete sentences.
• 🚫 The 'poverty of the stimulus' argument suggests that the input children receive is insufficient to explain their linguistic abilities.
• 👶 Errors made by children learning their first language are similar to those made by adults learning a second language, questioning the role of first language interference.
• 🔗 There's no direct link between structural concepts in language and psychological processes, challenging the contrastive analysis hypothesis.
• 🔍 Language learning is counterintuitive and requires empirical testing rather than mere speculation.

Q & A

What is one of the main criticisms against behaviorism in language learning?

One of the main criticisms is that language is not learned by imitation alone, as evidenced by children creating words like 'tooths' and 'foots' which they likely haven't heard from adults.

What is 'overgeneralization' in the context of language learning?

Overgeneralization refers to children applying rules they've learned to create words that are not correct, such as 'tooths' instead of 'teeth' or 'foots' instead of 'feet'.

Do children learn language solely through imitation?

No, while children do learn some aspects of language, particularly pronunciation, through imitation, they also apply rules and create novel utterances that they haven't heard from adults.

How do children's language learning behaviors differ from the behaviorist theory?

Children's language learning behaviors differ from the behaviorist theory because they continue to make errors even after correction, suggesting that learning is not solely through reinforcement.

What role does correction play in children's language learning?

Correction plays a limited role in children's language learning, as parents often focus on correcting pronunciation and facts rather than grammatical errors.

Why is it incorrect to assume that children learn language through analogy?

It's incorrect because children can distinguish between analogous and non-analogous sentences, such as knowing that 'we explained the girl the answer' is incorrect, even though it follows a similar structure to correct sentences.

What is the 'poverty of the stimulus' argument in language learning?

The 'poverty of the stimulus' argument suggests that the linguistic input children receive is not sufficient to account for their grammatical knowledge, as they are exposed to incomplete sentences and broken speech.

How do children know which linguistic constructions are ungrammatical?

Children seem to know which constructions are ungrammatical without being explicitly taught, which challenges the behaviorist view that learning is solely through reinforcement and imitation.

What similarities exist between children learning their first language and adults learning a second language?

Both children and adult second language learners make similar errors, such as creating incorrect plural forms, which suggests that these errors are not due to first language interference.

What is the contrastive analysis hypothesis, and why is it criticized?

The contrastive analysis hypothesis suggests that the differences between languages can predict learning difficulties. It is criticized because it cannot connect structural concepts to psychological processes, and it cannot accurately predict production errors.

Why is language learning considered 'counterintuitive' according to the script?

Language learning is considered 'counterintuitive' because common assumptions about learning, such as the idea that differences cause difficulty and similarities cause ease, do not always hold true in practice.