Who believed language is learned through reinforcement from environment?

Who believed language is learned through reinforcement from environment?

• A. B. F. Skinner
• B. Jean Piaget
• C. Noam Chomsky
• D. Carl Rogers

Answer: (A)

Language learning as a response to environmental reinforcement is a behaviorist view. B. F. Skinner argued that verbal behavior is learned through operant conditioning, where a child’s attempts at speech are shaped by the consequences that follow. When a spoken utterance is met with positive feedback—praise, approval, or other rewards—the likelihood of repeating that form increases. Over time, reinforced language patterns become established, while forms that aren’t reinforced tend to diminish. In contrast, other theorists propose different mechanisms: Jean Piaget linked language to cognitive development and the learner’s growing mental structures; Noam Chomsky argued there is an innate language faculty and universal grammar guiding language ability; Carl Rogers emphasized personal growth and communication without focusing on reinforcement shaping language. The reinforcement-centered view most directly reflects Skinner’s approach to learning.

Language learning as a response to environmental reinforcement is a behaviorist view. B. F. Skinner argued that verbal behavior is learned through operant conditioning, where a child’s attempts at speech are shaped by the consequences that follow. When a spoken utterance is met with positive feedback—praise, approval, or other rewards—the likelihood of repeating that form increases. Over time, reinforced language patterns become established, while forms that aren’t reinforced tend to diminish.

In contrast, other theorists propose different mechanisms: Jean Piaget linked language to cognitive development and the learner’s growing mental structures; Noam Chomsky argued there is an innate language faculty and universal grammar guiding language ability; Carl Rogers emphasized personal growth and communication without focusing on reinforcement shaping language. The reinforcement-centered view most directly reflects Skinner’s approach to learning.