BehavioristBehaviorist PerspectivePerspective on on

Language Language Learning Learning

Baki Dursun Baki Dursun Language Language Teaching Teaching

Who is Skinner?

What does he say about learning?

• ·   Known for operant conditioning• ·   A stimulus is provided• ·   A response is generated.• ·   Reinforcement is provided which could be positive or negative.- Learning takes place by reinforcement, if there is an unwanted behavior 

punishment takes its turn. 

Stimulus- Response 

What is operant conditioning?

Examples for Operant Conditioning

Positive Reinforcement 

Stimulus 

Response

Operant Conditioning Negative 

Reinforcement

Consequences that are reinforced (negatively or positively) will be

repeated but that are punished will not.

What does he say about Language Learning

Behaviorist Perspective on Language Learning

Assumptions from «Verbal Behavior»

Echoic Behavior • Echoic behavior is the primary form of verbal behavior of language 

learners. These verbalizations include repeated utterances, as in (1)

(1) PARENT: [pointing to cookie] That’s a cookie. Can you say ‘cookie’?CHILD: Cooookie

Mands(short for deMANDS)

• utterances that are reinforced by the elevation of deprivation. So for instance, if a child were hungry or cold, her requests (as in (2))

• (2) Cookie.• Directives such as “Stop,” “Go,” and “Wait” also count as mands.

Tact( short for contact)• Utterances that are produced when the speaker is not deprived are called 

tact• verbalizations that the speaker produces to provide information instead of 

attending to states of deprivation• Different from mand 

Interverbals• These include such things as “Please” and “Thank you.” • used in discourse situation and pertain to the interactive nature of dialog

•   SPEAKER A: Who’s your favorite graduate student?•   SPEAKER B: You

Autocliticts • attempted to deal with internal speech, or thought.• Autoclitics, by his account, are subject to the same effects of 

reinforcement as verbalized speech and that previously reinforced internal, or thought behaviors, will influence not only current and future thought but also current and future verbal behavior.