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The Behaviorist Theory asserts that first language is acquired through reinforcement, stimulus, and response.  An important aspect of children learning their first language is imitation and association.  A stimulus such as a ball is associated with the word “ball.” The child responds with “ball” and a parental figure then reinforces his response with reinforcement such as praise.

Flaws of the Theory:  The behaviorist theory doesn’t explain why there are grammatical errors in a child’s beginning articulations if the child is simply imitating.

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“Behaviorist assumed that the child’s mind was a tabula rasa, a blank slate awaiting the scripture of experience” (Reading, Writing, and Learning in ESL, 61).

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Theories of language development: Nativist, learning, interactionist | MCAT | Khan Academy

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Linguist, Noam Chomsky’s (1057) study of language acquisition led him to theorize that children are born with an “innate” ability to learn language through a language acquisition device (LAD) which allows a child to pick up on the grammatical rules of a language.

Flaws of the Theory:  The Innatist Theory neglects to account for the influence of caregiver interaction.

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“With a finite set of rules, people can generate an infinite number of novel utterances” (Reading, Writing, and Learning in ESL, 61)

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Innatist Perspective - Teaching Theories

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The Interactionist Theory emphasizes social interaction and argues that caregivers are an integral part of language acquisition.  Interactionist believes children have to interact in order to pick up on languages.

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“The Interactionist perspective acknowledges the important roles of both the child and the social environment in the language acquisition process” (63).

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The Innatist Perspective theorized that second language development was similar to first language development.  That is, they naturally create rules in an unstructured learning environment from teachers, friends, and books.  Errors are not corrected immediately, rather innatist believe students, given time, will naturally correct themselves.

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“English language learners creatively construct the rules of the second language in a manner similar to that observed in first language acquisition” (66).

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Behaviorism and Second Language Acquisition

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The Interactionist Perspective emphasizes natural language development through social interaction.  Interactionist believes learner output is critical to language acquisition as learners seek clarification and repetition.  Errors are only corrected if it impedes communication.

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“Producing output requires them to process the language more deeply” (68).

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Krashen asserts that there is a finite difference between acquiring language (unconscious process) and learning languages (conscious process).  He believed the acquisition of language would naturally occur through “meaningful interactions with native speakers” (66).  Whereas, language learning occurs through a more formal language classroom setting.

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Krashen believed that with time, formal language learning “leads to the development of an internal grammar editor or monitor” (66).  The monitor keeps track of the learners’ language development of appropriate output.  An emphasis on communication rather than repetitive rule study is recommended.  This hypothesis has three key components: time, targets form, knowing the rules.

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The natural order hypothesis proposes that language is not learned, but acquire language syntax in a sequential order. Thus, there is a natural order in how language is acquired.

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The input hypothesis places its emphasis on natural communication.  It believes that language acquisition is dependent on how much of the input the learner comprehends during natural communication.

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The affective filter hypothesis places its emphasis on the social-emotional aspect of learning a second language.  The hypothesis advances that second language acquisition is dependent on a low-anxiety learning environment, student motivation, self-esteem, and self-confidence (67).

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Said Krashen, “People acquire second languages when they obtain comprehensible input and when their affective filters are low enough to allow the input in” (67-68).