The main principles of the Behaviourism Theory of Language Acquisition
Shihabur Rahaman
ContributorMake a note on the main principles of the Behaviourism Theory of Language Acquisition NU Behaviourism is one of the oldest theories of learning It explains that learning is shown by changes in behaviour This theory began with J B Watson in and was later developed by Pavlov Thorndike and B F Skinner According to them language is not an inborn gift but a habit Children learn a language by hearing imitating and repeating Errors are corrected and correct speech is rewarded Thus learning a language means forming habits through practice and reinforcement Stimulus and Response The first principle of behaviourism is the link between stimulus and response A stimulus is any signal from the environment A response is the learner s action after the signal Pavlov showed this idea through his experiment with dogs In language learning the teacher gives a question and the student replies For example the
teacher asks What is this The student answers This is a book Imitation and Repetition Behaviourists say that children copy what they hear around them They repeat words sounds and patterns many times In this way the correct forms become part of their memory Skinner in Verbal Behavior stressed that practice builds habits For example a child may first copy milk from their parents Later by repeating the same word the child learns to use it in real life Thus imitation and repetition help in mastering language forms Reinforcement and Reward Reinforcement is another main principle It means that correct actions are supported with reward Skinner called this process operant conditioning Positive reinforcement may be praise smile or a gift Negative reinforcement may be scolding or correction For example a teacher praises a student for saying the correct answer The praise works as a reward The student becomes motivated to repeat the correct form Without reinforcement learning would not be strong or lasting Habit Formation Behaviourism says that learning a language involves forming new habits A child s first language habits may cause problems when learning a second language Ellis noted that L habits may interfere with L habits For this reason behaviourists believe mistakes should be corrected immediately Through drills and continuous practice the new habits slowly replace the old ones The Audio-Lingual Method based on behaviorism uses drills to strengthen these habits Transfer and Interference Behaviourists also believed in the principle of transfer Good habits from the first language may help in the second language But bad habits may cause interference For example if a student uses Bengali word order in English errors will appear Behaviourists said these errors must be prevented and corrected at once This shows how language habits depend on environment and practice Role of Environment According to behaviourists the environment plays a central role Watson and Skinner stressed that learning is shaped by surroundings A rich language environment helps learners hear repeat and form habits If children grow in an environment where they hear a lot of speech they will learn more quickly Thus behaviourists explain language learning as a product of external conditions not internal ideas In termination behaviourism gave a clear and simple model of language learning It showed how children learn by stimulus response imitation repetition and reinforcement It also stressed habit formation transfer and the role of the environment Though later criticised by Chomsky for ignoring creativity behaviourism still influenced language teaching greatly nbsp