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Language Development - BF Skinner

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After returning from a shopping trip with his mother, little Tommy reported, "I goed to the store and eated candy." Why might a behaviorist such as B. F. Skinner have had some difficulty explaining Tommy's incorrect grammatical construction? What sort of theory could explain the errors? What would that explanation be?

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Solution Summary

The solution provides information, assistance and advice in tackling the task 8see above) on the topic of BF Skinner's operant conditioning theory in relation to language skills development. Resources are listed for further exploration of the topic.

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Dear Student,
Hi and thank you for using Brainmass. The solution below should get you started. In this particular task, you are asking for help in putting together a discussion on the topic of language development based on Skinner's theory. I suggest using this simple outline:

1. On B.F. Skinner's theory - 100 words
2. Impact on grammar construction - 100 words
3. Tommy's case - 100 words
4.
This should give you 300 words which should cover what you need. You can also use the listed resources to further explore the topic. Just let me know via the feedback section if you need further clarification. All the best with your studies.

Sincerely,
AE 105878/Xenia Jones

BF Skinner: Language Development

It is common to see parents reward their children for good behavior, and punish them for bad behavior and behaviors they want to rid their children of. This concept has been described by BF Skinner as operant behavior and operant conditioning. According to McLeod (2007), "Operant Conditioning deals with operants - ...

Solution provided by:
Xenia Rochelle Jones, MA, PhD (IP)
Education
  • MPhil/PhD (IP), Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
  • MA, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
  • Certificate, Geva Ulpan (via Universita Tel Aviv)
  • BA, University of the Philippines
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