Learning Theorists' Claim That Language Is Learned Strictly Through Imitation

question 115

Essay

Learning theorists' claim that language is learned strictly through imitation and reinforcement has been challenged by other theorists who propose that an inborn mechanism helps children learn grammar. Give an example of a language phenomenon that learning theory has difficulty explaining and describe evidence that supports the notion of an inborn grammar-learning device.

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Definitions:

Double-Masked Study

A type of clinical trial where neither the participants nor the experimenters know who is receiving a particular treatment, reducing bias.

Selection Bias

A distortion in the outcome of a study due to non-random selection of participants, leading to an unrepresentative sample.

Double-Masked

A study design in which neither the participants nor the researchers know which participants belong to the control group and which to the experimental group, to prevent bias.

Correlation

A statistical measure that describes the extent to which two variables change together, and the direction (positive or negative) of that relationship.