Nativist Theory
Nativist Theory is a perspective in psychology and linguistics that suggests certain skills or abilities are innate, rather than acquired through experience. This theory posits that humans are born with a set of pre-existing knowledge or cognitive structures, which influence how they learn and interact with the world. A well-known proponent of this theory is Noam Chomsky, who argued that the ability to learn language is hardwired into the brain.
In the context of language acquisition, Nativist Theory emphasizes that children possess an inherent understanding of grammatical structures, allowing them to learn languages rapidly. This contrasts with behaviorist theories, which suggest that language learning occurs solely through imitation and reinforcement. Overall, Nativist Theory highlights the role of biology in shaping human development and cognition.