Which of the following is considered a major problem with the behavioral view of language learning?

• A. It focuses primarily on cognitive processes rather than observable behaviors.
• B. It suggests that language development is unrelated to reinforcement or punishment.
• C. It emphasizes the role of innate grammatical structures over environmental influences.
• D. It cannot adequately explain how children produce novel sentences they have never heard before.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the behavioral view of language learning, which emphasizes observable behaviors and the role of reinforcement and punishment in acquiring language.
2. Recognize that the behavioral perspective focuses on language as a set of learned responses shaped by environmental stimuli, rather than internal cognitive processes.
3. Identify the limitation that the behavioral view struggles to explain: how children can produce novel sentences they have never heard before, which suggests creativity beyond simple stimulus-response patterns.
4. Contrast this limitation with other views, such as the nativist perspective, which proposes innate grammatical structures to account for language creativity.
5. Summarize that the major problem with the behavioral view is its inability to account for the generative aspect of language, meaning the production of new and unique sentences.