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Socio‐perceptual bases for the emergence of language: An alternative to innatist approaches
Author(s) -
Zukow Patricia Goldring
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.420230711
Subject(s) - lexicon , perception , variety (cybernetics) , perspective (graphical) , cognitive psychology , language development , language acquisition , psychology , contrast (vision) , cognitive science , linguistics , computer science , developmental psychology , artificial intelligence , philosophy , mathematics education , neuroscience
Recent challenges from a variety of fields suggest a re‐examination of the nativist position and its implications for child language and communication research and theory. Basic assumptions crucial to the innatist position influence researchers to ignore the source of input, its characteristics, and its impact on language development. In contrast, from a socio‐perceptual/ecological position, the linchpin of the emergence of language is the dynamic structure of the social‐interactive environment in which the child develops. Evidence from a series of studies investigating the social and perceptual bases of the emergence of the lexicon is marshaled to support and illustrate this perspective. Parallel arguments can and ought to be constructed to explain other aspects of language learning.