Dr. White is a learning theorist who believes that language is learned purely through imitation and reinforcement. Which of the following would she have the most difficulty explaining?
A) children learning the language that is spoken by their family members, rather than a different language
B) children producing many more sentences than they have ever heard
C) children who watch Sesame Street having larger vocabularies than children who do not watch Sesame Street
D) children learning words more rapidly if their parents speak to them frequently

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Dr. White's belief that language is learned purely through imitation and reinforcement does not account for children producing many more sentences than they have heard. This phenomenon cannot be explained solely through imitation and reinforcement, as children are producing novel sentences and creating new combinations of words that they have not heard before.

Dr White Is a Learning Theorist Who Believes That Language