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An ecological approach to language development: an alternative functionalism.

C H Dent1

  • 1Department of Psychology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056.

Developmental Psychobiology
|November 1, 1990
PubMed
Summary

This study introduces an ecological approach to language development, proposing that language acquisition stems from perceptual systems detecting language-world relationships, not innate factors.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Linguistics

Background:

  • Traditional theories of language development often rely on innate mechanisms or environmental determinism.
  • These approaches face challenges in explaining the complexity and nuances of language acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a novel functionalist approach to language development grounded in ecological principles.
  • To offer an alternative to innate-based and purely environmental explanations of language acquisition.

Main Methods:

  • Adopts a realist orientation, focusing on the functional role of perceptual systems.
  • Examines how perceptual systems detect and utilize language-world relationships to guide attention and action.
  • Analyzes implications for concepts, representation, word learning, metaphor, and syntax.

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Main Results:

  • Language development is attributed to the functioning of perceptual systems interacting with the environment.
  • This ecological approach bypasses the need for innate concepts or genetic programming.
  • It offers a framework that accounts for organism-environment mutuality and the role of learning.

Conclusions:

  • The proposed ecological approach provides a robust, empirically testable alternative to innateness theories.
  • It highlights the dynamic interplay between perception, action, and the environment in language development.
  • This functionalist perspective offers a more integrated understanding of how language structure emerges.