CLA theories

• Nelson - Nouns


  60% of children's first words are nouns
• Nelson - 4 Categories of First Words


  -Naming (Cat)

  -Action (Go)

  -Social (Hi)

  -Modifying (Fluffy)
• Leslie Rescorla - Types of Overextension (1980)


  -Categorical Overextension = (Apple referring to other fruit like bananas, 'apple' = hyponym (specific term), 'fruit' = hypernym (broad term)

  -Analogical Overextension = used to describe function or feature of an object (e.g. a fluffy scarf being called 'kitty' because the child associates fluff with cats.)

  -Predicate Statements - 25% of overextensions in her study. Conveys abstract information (e.g. Child pointing to empty cot saying 'dolly' because the dolly is usually there and that's where it should be)
• Crystal - 3 Stages of Question Development


  1 - Use of intonation to signal a question

  2 - Use of question words 'What' 'Why' etc

  3 - Using word order (syntax) to create longer and more detailed questions (E.g. When is dinner ready)
• Michael Halliday - 7 Functions of Language


  (1-4 = Helps child with physical, emotional and social needs)

  1. Instrumental - Expresses need ('Want drink')

  2. Regulatory - Commands ('Go away')

  3. Interactional - Contact and forming relationships with others ('Love you Daddy')

  4. Personal - Expresses feeling, opinion, identity ('Me good girl')

  (5-6 = Helps child understand environment)

  5. Heuristic - Gains information about environment ('What tractor doing?')

  6. Imaginative - Tells stories and jokes

  7. Representational - Conveys facts and information
• Bancroft - Peekaboo (1996)


  Observed that games like 'peekaboo' have parallels with a typical conversation:

  - Turn Taking. Even though the child may not initially understand its part in the game, the adults act as if it does.

  - Each participant responds to the contribution made by the other.

  - Participants have a common purpose and understand the sequence they should follow.

  - Activity gives parties pleasure
• Skinner - Behaviourism, Skinner's Box (1957)


  Psychological experiment with Rats

  -Believed we can predict and control behaviour by manipulating the environment (Operant Conditioning)

  -Negative Reinforcement = Electric Shock

  -Positive Reinforcement = Food

  -The rats learnt that the lever gave food, and the reward of receiving food meant the rats repeatedly pressed it. (If they pressed the lever after the light turned on then they got buzzed)

  -Linked this to freewill, everything we are taught at a young age conditions us and our actions.
• Skinner - Behaviourism Summary


  -Viewed babies as blank slates/empty vessels that we put language. They learn language from their environment and consequences of their actions.

  -Learn language through Positive Reinforcement. Development of speech is parents tend to reward Infant Vocalisation (Babbling) by giving the baby attention.

  -Children wont progress from babbling to language unless parents shape the child's language behaviour. Children imitate speech sounds and words spoken by parents
• Skinner - Behaviourism, Conditioning Process


  -Child is rewarded for making any form of utterance

  -Parents reward child for sounds that resemble words, ones that don't are ignored

  -Child also imitates those around them to learn new words

  -Child is rewarded when using language to ask for something (positive reinforcement)

  -This conditions the child into forming words and using correct grammar
• Bard and Sachs - Input Theorists


  -Stressed the role of interaction in the development of language.

  -Studied a boy (nearly 4y/o) called Jim with 2 deaf parents who was exposed to TV etc but didn't develop speech until he attended speech therapy.

  -Supports Skinner's Behaviourism, Jim needed positive reinforcement from therapist to develop linguistically.
• Jean Berko-Gleason (1958) The Wug Test


  -Showed a 'Wug' and then multiple 'Wugs' and were asking to finish 'There are two ...?' and they would correctly answer with plural noun 'Wugs'.

  -Shows sophisticated understanding of linguistic morphology beyond what they've been taught (wug = made up pseudo word and cannot have been taught.)

  -Goes against Skinner's Behaviourism, children understood grammar/language patterns without external influence.
• Noam Chomsky (1960s) Nativism


  Nativism = The ability to learn language is innate within a child's brain

  -Opposed Skinner's Behaviourism, claimed it was clear that children do not only acquire language through imitation

  -Still acknowledged that children make grammatical mistakes/virtuous errors when learning to speak (E.g. 'Wented' or 'Bestest')

  -Children only hear a narrow range of language from parents, yet are able to understand and produce grammatically correct utterances very quickly

  -Stated every child us born with the ability to speak 'programmed' into the brain, called the LAD - Language Acquisition Device. Everyone has this universal grammar and natural ability to understand grammar rules.
• Nativism explains :


  -The impressive speed at which children learn to speak

  -How children form different cultures pass through the same stages of development

  -The existence of grammatical features that are common to various languages

  -Virtuous Error is part of learning process, shows innate ability to learn and understand grammar (E.g. Child says 'seed' instead of 'saw' which was not picked up from a parent.)
• Lenneberg - Critical Period


  -Development of language can only take place during a set period in a child's early life

  -It is impossible to achieve full understanding of language and vocabulary if missed.
• Jean Piaget - Cognitive Development


  -Examines how children's thought process changes and develops as they get older.

  -Being around others speaking to each other or to them can increase intellectual development of the child.
• Piaget - Schema


  -Schema = Learning Theory

  -Knowledge = building blocks. Children must have foundational knowledge to make developments.

  E.g:

  -To understand Tenses, child must understand Time

  -To understand Comparative Adjectives, child must understand objects in relation to each other

  -To understand demonstrative Pronouns, child must understand identity and plurals.
• Piaget - Adaptation of Schema


  -Equilibrium = Basic understanding of subject

  -Assimilate = Added information about subject fitting into this basic understanding

  -Disequilibrium = Added information that doesn't fit into this basic understanding

  -Accommodate = Further development of knowledge to gain full understanding
• Piaget's Blanket and Ball Study (1963)


  -Object Permanence = Ability to recognise an object still exists when it is out of sight. Child can only learn names of objects once they have the capacity to form a mental representation of the object permanently existing.

  -This understanding is completed when a child reaches 18 months, where there is a big increase in child's vocabulary.

  -If child can't understand object permanence then they can't develop their schema/gain full understanding.
• Bruner - LASS


  -Built on Chomsky's Nativism, idea that without guidance the LAD wont work properly

  -Links to Nativism and Behaviourism (Nativism = Innate, Behaviourism = Need support)

  -Developed on LAD with the idea of the Language Acquisition Support System, linking to impact of environment instead of an innate understanding.

  -Children develop linguistically with guidance from parents, a LASS allows the LAD to be triggered

  (E.g. Scaffolding, Proto-conversations, Framing, Recasting etc)
• Curtiss - Study on Genie Wiley


  -Genie was tied to a chair for 13 years of her childhood

  -Was found in 1970

  -She developed non-verbal communication skills, could spit and salivate etc (had the mental age of an 18 month old)

  -Links to Lenneberg's Critical Period, never learnt basic grammar after being rescued. She could string some sentences together and label objects (E.g. 'Buy apple sauce store') but could never fully learn grammar ever after missing the critical stage.
• Genie Wiley - Links to other Theories

  -Chomsky's Nativism = because she didn't use language, the innate grammar understanding was lost. But if the LAD needs no additional support as Chomsky suggests, Genie would have learnt language regardless. So we may have an innate understanding but need input of others to progress

  -Skinner's Behaviourism = Genie could not develop her language by reduplicating language heard from parents because she was neglected. However this doesn't explain how she could never learn grammar, behaviourism suggests she would learn after being rescued. So Lenneberg's critical period must be acknowledged.
• Fry - Study on Oxana Malaya


  -Abandoned on streets at 3y/o, found shelter with homeless people and dogs for 5 years.

  -Began to walk on all fours, barked, ate raw meat

  -Rescued at 8y/o and was given intense therapy but never fully developed speech.
• Oxana Malaya - Links to other theories

  -Chomsky's LAD = communicated universal grammar of humans, this case perhaps suggests universal grammar among animals too. Oxana learnt communication patterns of dogs.

  -Skinner's Behaviourism = Oxana was conditioned by dogs instead of parents and learnt a form of language that way. She copied their movements and version of speech patterns.

  -Bruner = Not relevant because the dogs did not purposefully teach Oxana language with methods like scaffolding etc as parents do.
• Berko and Brown (1960) = Children can recognise more than they can pronounce


  -Study showed babies could recognise 'Fish' was correct and 'Fis' was not when shown on a card by caregiver. However, they couldn't pronounce correct 'Fish', only 'Fis'.