The Two Theories Of B. F. Skinner And Noam Chomsky

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The two competing theories regarding the learning of language are those of B.F. Skinner and Noam Chomsky. Skinner theorized that language is learned through association and operant conditioning. He argued that infants learn the meanings of words through reinforcement when they use language correctly, similarly to the way that they learn behavior (CrashCourse, 2014a). For example, when an infant begins to babble, they may make noises sounding like “mama” or “dada.” The parents’ responses may be a smile or attention that encourages or reinforces the baby to do the same thing again. Eventually, the child may attempt to get the attention of his mother by saying, “Mama.” The mother may then respond and pay attention to the child. This desired social …show more content…

Jean Piaget argued that cognitive development is a process of adaptation to one’s environment and the many new experiences a person encounters from it. Piaget suggested that humans are always striving for cognitive equilibrium, or the harmony between thoughts and the environment, and this is done through two processes: assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation occurs when a person fits a new experience or stimulus into their already existing schemas. Accommodation, however, occurs when an existing schema no longer works, and a person must adjust the schema itself to the new experience (CrashCourse, 2014b). For example, when I was a child and was given my first DVD, I used my existing schemas for a disc and assumed that it was a computer game or a CD since the DVD didn’t fit into my schema for films, which exclusively included VHS tapes. I assimilated the DVD into my existing schema and attempted to use the disc accordingly. When that didn’t work, I had to accommodate my schema for films by recognizing the DVD as a copy of a film. Overall, exposure to and accommodation to new experiences can help one learn and expand

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