According to behaviourists, language development follow principles.

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is (1):

According to behaviorist theories, particularly B.F. Skinner's view, language acquisition is primarily explained through the principles of operant conditioning. Skinner proposed that children learn language through imitation, reinforcement, and shaping. When a child babbles or produces sounds that resemble words, parents or caregivers provide positive reinforcement (e.g., praise, attention, fulfilling needs), which increases the likelihood of those sounds being repeated. Over time, through a process of successive approximations, or "shaping," children are reinforced for utterances that are closer and closer to adult speech. This continuous interaction and reinforcement strengthen the association between specific sounds/words and their meanings or consequences, thereby leading to the development of complex language skills. The focus is entirely on environmental influences and the consequences of verbal behavior.

The incorrect option is (2):

Heredital (heredity) refers to genetic factors influencing development. While there is a biological predisposition for language, behaviorists emphasize environmental learning over innate, genetic predispositions for the *development* of language. Heredity plays a role in equipping humans with the capacity for language, but behaviorism focuses on how that capacity is actualized through learning.

The incorrect option is (3):

Memory is a cognitive process involved in storing and retrieving information. While memory is undoubtedly crucial for language use and learning, it is a cognitive concept, not a primary principle of language *development* as defined by behaviorists. Behaviorists focus on observable behaviors and external stimuli rather than internal mental states like memory as the driving force behind language acquisition.

The incorrect option is (4):

Forgetting is the inability to recall information or events. This is a process related to memory and the decay of learned associations, but it does not describe a principle by which language *develops* according to behaviorist perspectives. Forgetting is a consequence of learning, not a mechanism for its initial development.