Skinners theory and child language

This list of 50 words does back up Skinner's theory as all of the words the child has learnt would most likely be rewarded with praise which shows positive reinforcement. For example, when the child says "cuddle" it is likely that they would be rewarded for saying the correct word with being cuddled, also saying "juice" would be rewarded with receiving the juice. This could prove Skinners theory as the child may have realised that those words are correct and therefore continues to use them as they know that this is the way to show what they want. 

All of the words that the child has learnt have probably been learnt through imitation; the child would listen to his carers saying specific words and being rewarded for it. For example, saying specific lexis like "please" is something that the child has learnt and associated with getting what they want. Politeness is harder concept to understand at a young age, therefore proving that the child knows words like "please" and "ta" from imitation and reinforcement. 

However, some words that the child has learnt would require more explanation and understanding that just simply imitation and reinforcement. This goes against Skinner's theory and shows that child language acquisition requires more depth than stated in this particular theory. For example, asking "wassat" requires a lot more knowledge and understanding as the child is asking a question, which is a concept more difficult to understand than simply imitating words that they have previously heard. 

Child Language Acquisition

What clues can you get from this list of 50 words on how a baby might acquire language?

This list of 50 words tells me that in the first year of a babies life the majority of words that they learn are naming words. The number of proper nouns that the child has learned gives an indication of the people that the child spends most of their time around, for example "mumma, dadda, grandad, nana". Also, the proper noun "Laa Laa" gives the impression that the child must watch the television programme the Teletubbies. The child has also learned many concrete nouns; these could be learned in many different situations and in different context. The words learned indicate the activities the child might do in the day, for example having a meal - "toast, marmite, jam, cup, bowl, biscuit". Furthermore, the child may recognise getting dressed as they can say "socks" and "shoes". These words could all have been learnt through routine, for example the child may always have toast for breakfast with either jam or marmite. 

The child has also learned a few words relating to actions or events. For example, "cuddle" and "jump". As the child is of a young age, the actions that they will be able to do will be limited and therefore the number of words they know in this section are of a smaller amount. The child can also say words which are personal/social. For example, "hello, bye-bye, please, ta". This symbolises routine; the child may be more familiar with these words as they probably recognise that they are said for greetings and to show politeness. As these words are likely to be used several time a day, they will be more familiar to the baby and therefore they would pick not only the word but the meaning more quickly.