Tooba Kanwal 01

Madiha Naseem 02
Behaviorism and Structural linguistic

 The term behaviorism is coined by psychologist J.B

Watson in 1913.
 The most influential version of this theory is put
forward by Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov and B.F
Skinner.
 According to this concept ,language learning is nothing
but an acquisition of new behavior or knowledge.
 Behaviorism explain behavior without reference to
mental events or internal process.It explains
behavior with reference to external factors in the
environment.
 Pavlov’s experiment with dogs.
 Classical
conditioning. Repeated association of
events.When the bell will ring,he will feel that
someone bring a food for him.Behaviorist believe
that same is true in case of human behavior.
 If child cries and no one respond then he will abandon
this strategy.
 Continuous repetition is important factor in
developing new behavior.
 Behaviorist further explains the concept of Operant
Conditioning.
 This is a feedback system in which reinforcement and
punishment can induce an organism to engage in new
behavior.
 Example of chicken.Chicken is conditioned to
dance in response to food,but provision of food is
also accompanied by flashing
light.Eventually,chicken will dances in response to
flashing light ,even if no food is available.
 Behaviorist contended that mental process were
not involved in this process.It was purely a result
of association of events,a response to stimuli and
subsequent reinforcement or punishment.
 Reinforcement encourages the continuation of response.
 Punishment discourages the continuation of response.
 Environment is the most important factor in learning.
 In case of child,he or she imitate the sound and structure from
the environment. If they receive positive response, then they
continue ….otherwise….
 The characteristics of SLA that differentiate it from Child
language learning is that L2 learners already have set of habits-
a first language that must be overcome in the process of
acquiring a second language.
 Behaviorism is not only the impetus behind this
kind of approach to language learning and
teaching. It was closely linked to structural
linguistics presented language as based on finite
set of patterns ,beginning from sound system to
sentence structure.
 CONSTRUCTS OF BEHAVIORISM:
 Conditioning, reinforcement and Punishment
Contrastive analysis:
In order to learn or aquire a second language, we
need to contrast with our first language. It means
structure of L2 can easily be learned by comparing
it with structure of L1.Whenever,languages were
similar there will be positive transfer.When they
were different, there will be negative transfer
resulting in learners difficulty and error.
 Repetition of correct model,as well as immediate
and consistent feedback or error correction was
seen as a best way to eradicate errors before
learners developed bad habits.
 L1 is primary source of learner difficulty and
error.Where L1 and L2 differ only slightly,relatively
little difficulty would be expected.where the
contrast between two languages greater,greater
difficulty would be expected.