Suppose a friend of yours has a son, George, who is three years old. Your friend has been explaining to you that George has a problem with forming the past tense of verbs. For example, George says, “Yesterday I go to the park” and “Last week I swim in the pool.” But your friend has a plan: he is going to spend one hour each day with George, having the child imitate the past tense forms of the verbs, and he will give George a piece of candy for each correct imitation.
i. Which theories of language acquisition does your friend assume?
ii. Will your friend’s plan work? Explain why or why not.
iii. What suggestions would you give your friend? Explain why, using a relevant theory.
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