Noam Chomsky said that behaviorism was inadequate for explaining how children learn their first language. What is behaviorism and why is it an incomplete model for explaining L1 acquisition?

1.1 Discussion Forum: Cognitive Functionalism in First Language Acquisition

Micahel tomasello constructing a language

https://learning.fresno.edu/pluginfile.php/2541622/mod_page/content/18/Chapter%20O%20N%20E%20Constructing%20a%20Languagedocx.pdf?time=1651694964470

Lectures:

Generative Grammar
The lecture describes how children generate grammar in different contexts. Choose one of the arguments below and postulate the grammar that might be generated from these experiences. Use details from linguistics in your answer.
Argument-Structure Constructions
• People acting on objects
• Objects changing state or location
• People giving people things
• People experiencing psychological states
• Objects or people being in a state
• Things being acted upon

Answer the following in about half a page.

Children Learning Words
Using the information from the lecture, describe the factors needed for learning words. Have you seen these factors in action with children you know?

Behaviorism
Noam Chomsky said that behaviorism was inadequate for explaining how children learn their first language. What is behaviorism and why is it an incomplete model for explaining L1 acquisition?