Question

Which of the following observations can be accounted for by B.F. Skinner's theory of language development?

• A. Children produce errors that adults around them never produce.
• B. Children acquire language without negative evidence.
• C. Children acquire grammatical features not present in the input.
• D. Children learn language by imitating the adults around them.

Hint:

Skinner's theory emphasizes \textbf{imitation and reinforcement}, while Chomsky's theory emphasizes \textbf{innate structures (Universal Grammar)}. Always link Skinner with behaviorism and Chomsky with nativism.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Recall Skinner's theory of language development
- Skinner, a behaviorist, proposed that language acquisition is explained by principles of operant conditioning.
- Children learn through imitation, reinforcement, and association.
- Parents and the environment provide stimuli, and when children reproduce language correctly, they receive positive reinforcement. Step 2: Evaluate each option - (A) Errors children produce that adults never produce → This observation challenges Skinner's view, because imitation alone cannot explain such novel errors.
- (B) Acquisition without negative evidence → This is explained by Chomsky's innateness hypothesis (Universal Grammar), not Skinner.
- (C) Acquisition of grammatical features not present in input → Again, this supports Chomsky's nativist perspective, not Skinner's behaviorist model.
- (D) Learning language by imitating adults → This is exactly what Skinner's theory accounts for. Children imitate speech of adults and refine it through reinforcement. Step 3: Conclude - Only option (D) aligns with Skinner's theory. \[ \boxed{\text{Correct Answer: (D)}} \]