The exploration of development that is often typical of toddlers points to the importance of the environment or modeling to facilitate language development. For example, learning theorists believe that language is acquired through classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and/or modeling. B. F. Skinner is a proponent of this perspective. Other major theoretical perspectives in language development include cognitive developmental theory developed by Jean Piaget. Cognitive developmental theorists believe that language has to do with the child's capacity for symbolic thought, which develops toward the end of the sensorimotor period (about age two).
If much of the language that toddlers are exposed to is babbling and cartoons targeted toward toddlers and pre-school age children (roughly ages 2-4), their subsequent speech is a reflection. My own interactions with my daughter illustrates the salience of modeling, as her speech is a mirror of the modeling provided in the environment (i.e. interactions with me, other relatives and friends). In light of what we have discussed, thus far, in the course (e.g. attention, memory, schemas, etc) , what factors do you the language development of children?