Scientists' views of whether human language acquisition comes from nature or nurture have changed over time. Explain how thinking on this issue has developed. Cite the theories of Skinner, Chomsky, and the interactionists in your answer.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. A sample answer follows. The debate over human language acquisition has swung from nurture to nature and now is somewhere in the middle.
B. F. Skinner believed that nurture was responsible for language acquisition. He argued that people use reinforced imitation to learn language. In other words, they notice the words that others around them use, they use those words, and they see whether there is a reward for using them.
Chomsky, on the other hand, pointed out that Skinner's theory did not account for children's ability to understand words they have never heard before and their ability to invent new words. Chomsky argued that we come "prewired" with the ability to acquire language. He said that acquiring language is a maturational process, just as learning to walk is for most people.
Later experts, including Golinkoff et al. and Markman, have been interactionists. In other words, they believe that nature and nurture each play a part in how we acquire language.