Content:

 Text in APA 6th edition citation format

 Information about the text (key features, description)
 Summary (highlights/main ideas)
 Short critical analysis of the text which focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of the
article (maximum of three sentences)

Skinner, B.F. (1994). Verbal Behavior (BF Skinner Foundation reprint series). BF Skinner
Foundation: Cambridge, Massachusetts

While known for his contributions in the field of psychology, B.F. Skinner also theorized
about language acquisition. Looking at language through a behaviorist point of view, he defines
‘verbal behavior’ as something that manifests its effects through another person’s behavior. On
the other hand, he compares the nonverbal aspect as something that manipulates the
environment.

Skinner names six basic forms of verbal behavior based on controlled variables: the
mand, reinforced by consequences; tact, controlled by objects or events; audience relation,
affected by an audience’s reinforcement; echoic and textual, both imitative and stimulated by
verbal responses, and intraverbal, which are verbal responses also controlled by verbals. The
concept of the autoclitic, which describes verbal responses that alter the effect of the six
aforementioned basic forms to a listener.

Verbal Behavior elaborates on the classifications of verbal responses while also

discussing the concept of the stimulus response; however, it gives more attention to the listener
than the speaker or source. Noam Chomsky wrote an in-depth critique of Skinner’s work,
questioning the latter’s ‘empiricist’ claims on language.

Chomsky, N. (1959). A Review of BF Skinner’s Verbal Behavior. Language, 35(1), 142-143

The linguist and cognitive scientist postulated his theory on the existence of an innate
‘universal grammar’ within humans. He was able to deliver this through his published critique of
BF Skinner’s book which Chomsky also says is a general criticism of the behaviorist–or
empiricist, as he terms it–lens on language.

Chomsky cites the inadequacy of using functional analysis to explain higher cognitive
faculties of humans. He argues that Skinner’s schema of the six basic forms and the autoclitic
was very limiting and that only a few external factors were given emphasis. The accounting of
factors that are not directly present in a communication situation was also questioned and
whether these absent dynamics can fall under the stimulus category.
 The absence of a linguistic model was also questioned by Chomsky since Verbal
Behavior is heavily based on a laboratory setup. The critique argues that Skinner did not take
into account the intricate nature of language in general.

Chomsky’s critique considers that language cannot simply be measured by an instinct-

based framework. While such framework may be considered adaptive to the complexity of
grammar and language, it is limited to the supposed dependent relationship of the response and
the stimuli. Chomsky further explains types of responses and stimuli and also accounts the
existence of genetic factors.

Papadakis, S., Zaranis, N., & Kalogiannakis, M. (2019). Parental involvement and attitudes
towards young Greek children’s mobile usage. International Journal of Child-Computer
Interaction, 22, 100144. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJCCI.2019.100144

With the growth of present technology’s market at a rapid pace, children are introduced
to the existence of computers and handheld electronic devices as something that is native. It is
not only the younger generations who are directly involved with this phenomena; it also
concerns older age groups, who are expected to have a more comparative perspective, given
that they were able to experience a different era of technology.

Contributing to the roster of research studies about smart screens and children inside
the home in Greece, Papadakis et al. examines the parental perceptions on children’s usage of
mobile devices from 293 families. The study examines mobile device usage both in the
domestic and school setting.

This article focuses on the educational value of mobile devices within the two settings
and gives a more general view of the impact of technology on children’s technology. It does not
specify a particular dynamic of technology such as social media or offline applications. It does,
however, look into the responses of parents with varying educational backgrounds.

Oliemat, E., Ihmeideh, F., & Alkhawaldeh, M. (2018). The use of touch-screen tablets in
early childhood: Children’s knowledge, skills, and attitudes towards
tablet technology. Children and Youth Services Review, 88, 591–597.
https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CHILDYOUTH.2018.03.028

Touch-screen tablets are one of the most common types of mobile devices, and children
are just as familiar with them just like how they are with mobile phones. This article examines
the level of skills and knowledge children have in operating handheld tablets, their attitude
towards the device, as well as their parents’ response to their device usage. The research
concluded that children treat these touch screens more as an entertainment device than a
learning tool.
 The researchers was able to garner responses from children themselves; the young
respondents claimed that their parents do impose rules about using their tablets and that they
still need proper guidance with it. The findings are not limited to adult responses, which is typical
in studies involving children.

Papadamou, K., Papasavva, A., Zannettou, S., Blackburn, J., Kourtellis, N., Leontiadis, I.,
Stringhini, G., & Sirivianos, M. (2019). Disturbed YouTube for Kids: Characterizing and
Detecting Inappropriate Videos Targeting Young Children. January.
http://arxiv.org/abs/1901.07046

The type of content within the YouTube platform is not only confined to the beneficial but
also to the harmful. As an alternative to television that encourages more self-administered
choices for content to watch, YouTube also offers videos that could appear as inappropriate to
its young audiences. Papadamou et al. conducted a study aiming to identify and classify
disturbing children’s content on the platform, ranging from Elsagate videos to child-keyword
productions.

The study solely focused on content that specifically target or interest viewers aged 1-5,
and it did not include videos that would appear as ‘disturbing’ due to age-inappropriate features.
It also provides an analysis of YouTube’s current algorithm which is responsible for
recommending content to its viewers.

Reflection

There is a decent amount of articles and studies about children’s learning through
platforms such as YouTube on the sphere of research; however, there are only a few conducted
on children’s acquisition of language through the platform. With YouTube currently recognized
as one of the leading social media sites, its significance in the daily lives of various age groups
will remain a significant subject for study.

The choice of annotated texts above include not only studies related to language and
mobile device usage, but also texts that have criticized claims and texts that criticize the
platform being studied.