Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026
05:33
Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effect of Induced Emotion on Grammar Learning
Published on: January 29, 2020
An experimental approach to language training in second language acquisition: Focus on negation
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
|July 1, 1986
Summary
Second language negation training impacts native language skills. Simultaneous training benefits bilingual children, especially those less proficient in their native tongue.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Developmental Psychology
- Bilingualism
Background:
- Investigating the cross-linguistic effects of second language acquisition on native language skills.
- Understanding how negation development in one language influences another in young bilingual children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the impact of Spanish negation training on Spanish/English bilingual children's native language (Spanish) and second language (English) negation skills.
- To determine how proficiency levels in English negation affect outcomes of Spanish negation training.
Main Methods:
- Four-year-old Spanish/English bilingual children with varying English negation proficiency received Spanish negation training.
- Training conditions included Spanish alone or simultaneous Spanish and English training.
Main Results:
- Children proficient in English negation maintained English skills and improved Spanish negation with training.
- Children non-proficient in English showed decreased English negation with Spanish-only training but improved in both languages with simultaneous training.
Conclusions:
- Second language training strategies should consider the interplay between languages and the child's existing proficiency.
- Simultaneous language training may be more effective for bilingual children with lower native language proficiency.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Language Development
Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
01:27Language and Cognition
Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
01:24Components of Language
Language, whether spoken, signed, or written, consists of specific components: lexicon and grammar. The lexicon is the vocabulary of a language, comprising its words. Grammar is the set of rules used to convey meaning through the lexicon. For example, English grammar adds “-ed” to most verbs to indicate past tense. Words are formed by combining phonemes, which are the basic sound units of a language. Different languages have different sets of phonemes (e.g., “ah” vs. “eh”). Phonemes combine to...
01:21The Nativist Approach
The nativist approach to infant cognitive development proposes that infants are born with inherent knowledge structures that allow them to interpret the world almost immediately. This perspective contrasts with earlier developmental theories, such as those proposed by Jean Piaget, which emphasized a more gradual acquisition of cognitive abilities through interaction with the environment. One key concept in this approach is object permanence — the understanding that objects continue to exist...
01:22Purposive Learning
E. C. Tolman emphasized the purposiveness of behavior — the idea that much of our behavior is goal-directed. For instance, employees who aim for a promotion work diligently to meet their targets. Tolman argued that when classical conditioning and operant conditioning occur, the organism acquires certain expectations. In classical conditioning, a child might fear a dog because they expect it to bite. In operant conditioning, a person might consistently work overtime because they expect a bonus...
01:28Lateralization
Brain lateralization refers to the division of mental processes and functions between the two hemispheres of the brain, a phenomenon that optimizes neural efficiency and underpins complex abilities in humans. This specialization allows each hemisphere to perform tasks where it has a comparative advantage, facilitating more refined cognitive capabilities across different domains.