Conflicts and Complementarity between Skinner’s Behaviorism and Chomksy’s Mentalism: With Special Reference to Language Intervention for Children with Autism(PDF)
《南京师大学报》（社会科学版）[ISSN:1006-6977/CN:61-1281/TN]
- Issue:
- 2015年05期
- Page:
- 111-
- Research Field:
- 当代中国教育研究
- Publishing date:
Info
- Title:
- Conflicts and Complementarity between Skinner’s Behaviorism and Chomksy’s Mentalism: With Special Reference to Language Intervention for Children with Autism
- Author(s):
- LI Shu-guang; HAO Ying
- Keywords:
- behaviorism; mentalism; nature and nurture; language assessment and intervention for children with autism
- PACS:
- -
- DOI:
- -
- Abstract:
- Chomsky’s generative linguistics differs from Skinner’s behaviorist theory of language in ontology, epistemology and methodology: they belong respectively to two competing paradigms, i.e. mentalism and behaviorism. Though it is generally accepted that Chomksy’s long review of Skinner’s(1957)Verbal Behavior sounded the death-knell for behaviorism and thus ushered in the cognitive-turn in psychology and linguistics, Skinner’s behaviorism remains a robust field of scientific inquiry. The resilience of behaviorism mainly lies in the fact that it plays an indispensable role in such practical areas as the language assessment and intervention for children with autism. Therefore, Chomsky’s mentalism is complementary to Skinner’s behaviorism and they are both essential to a comprehensive understanding of the nature of human languages.
Last Update: 2015-09-15