Dax, Age 3, Often Makes Errors in His Speech

question 15

Essay

Dax, age 3, often makes errors in his speech. For example, he'll tell his mother that his "foots" are tired when he wants to be carried. While watching a cartoon, he exclaimed, "Ew! Those are mices!" And last week, he told his grandfather that he "goed to the swimming park" with his babysitter. Explain the type of speech errors that Dax is demonstrating. Should his parents and caregivers criticize his speech in order to correct it? Why or why not?

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Definitions:

Discriminative Stimulus

A stimulus in operant conditioning that indicates the probability of consequence for a behavior; it signals whether reinforcement or punishment is likely to follow a specific response.

Reinforced

Strengthened or emphasized, often in the context of behavior strengthened by a reward in psychology.

Human Face

A unique feature of the front part of the head in humans that includes eyes, nose, mouth, and expressions.

Successive Approximations

A method in behavioral psychology where behaviors are gradually modified to achieve a desired behavior through small steps.