Source: https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-for-primary-childrens-language-development-seneca-certified/1-2-2-interactionism

[Revision notes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes.md) › [Teacher CPD](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd.md) › [CPD for Primary: Children's Language Development - Seneca Certified](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-for-primary-childrens-language-development-seneca-certified.md) › Interactionism

# Interactionism

CPD for Primary: Children's Language Development (by Tom Hollins), topic 1.2.2

## Interactionism

Interactionalists believe that a child is born __‘tabula rasa’__ (or blank slate) and learns language based on their interaction with caregivers. You may have heard of the idea of __‘nature vs nurture’__ and interactionalists argue for nurture.

### Child directed speech

![Child directed speech](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-08/6d7fe50e-aa04-4d01-bd49-dfc166bdd9b3/parents-child-swing.jpg)

- The process of talking to a child is called __‘child directed speech’__ and is often shortened to CDS.

### __Bruner__

![__Bruner__](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-04/6077a81d-d7f5-4eef-8313-701e8ad0548d/shutterstock_704601229.jpg)

- The main interactionalist is __Bruner__. 
- He believes that a child must interact with caregivers in order to learn how to use language. 
- He created what he calls a LASS (Language Acquisition Support System) – a system designed __‘scaffold’__ a child in learning language (structuring responses in order to help a child to use language more accurately).

### __Catherine Snow__

![__Catherine Snow__](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-09/943b7fc2-7e64-405c-993d-f2ed245fffc9/mother-84628_1920.jpg)

- __Catherine Snow__ coined the term __‘motherese’__ to describe the language used by mothers to talk to their children.
- She argues that language acquisition happens as a result of the interaction which takes place between the mother and her child. 
- Interactions with fathers use __‘fatherese’__ and anybody else uses __‘otherese’__.

### __John Snarey__

![__John Snarey__](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-08/fc839481-84d2-4733-8f98-70ce379f5318/father-dad-son.jpg)

- __John Snarey__ states that fathers interact with their children in different ways to the way their mothers do. 
- He says that __‘roughhousing’__ with the father teaches that biting, kicking and other forms of violence are unacceptable and how to gain self-control.

### __John Snarey__ - fatherese process

![__John Snarey__ - fatherese process](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-08/a32998d5-01db-4295-87e0-84b54d355cd9/child-baby-father-dad.jpg)

- __John Snarey__ believes that the following form part of the fatherese process:
 - Tickling, wrestling and throwing the child in the air.
 - Chasing.
 - Loud volume.
 - Bouncing rather than cuddling and rough rather than gentle.
 - Encouragement of competition.
 - Promotion of independence over security.
 - Less simplification of speech.
 - Challenging the child to expand vocabulary and linguistic skills.

### Case study

![Case study](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-09/2d01dd30-e1e4-455b-b291-78ae3261cb96/tv-child-watch-boy-.jpg)

- __Jim - Bard and Sachs__ studied ‘Jim’ whose parents were deaf. 
- Jim was exposed to various uses of language like the TV and the radio, but he passed the critical period (a term coined by __Lenneberg__ to denote the period of time in which a child best learns language. After passing this time, a child will often struggle to acquire language). 
- But interactions with a speech therapist helped him to acquire language. So this proves that there is a need for interaction.

## Interactionism - Snow and Bruner

__Snow and Bruner__ argue that caregivers may use the following strategies as part of the scaffolding and CDS process:

### Strategies

![Strategies](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-03/a2d4f6e2-5f18-40f4-b3f9-e372bfc6c491/shutterstock_432044791.jpg)

- Recasting and reformulation – the caregiver repeats what the child said containing anything missing and needed to make a grammatically standard utterance. 
 - For example, a child might say __‘ball’__ and the caregiver may respond with __‘you want the ball?’__.
- Expansion – the caregiver makes the utterance more complex by expanding on what they said. 
 - For example, __‘Amy runned’__ might be expanded to form __‘Amy ran the race’__.

### Strategies (cont.)

![Strategies (cont.)](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/courseImages/biology/7.5.1%20-%20Food%20Production/abstract-1238248_640-min.jpg)

- Exaggerated prosodic cues – exaggerating intonation, varying pitch and using higher intonations.
- Expatiation – expressing what the child said giving more information. 
 - For example, __‘food hot’__ might be expatiated to __‘the food is too hot! We’ll let it cool down first’__.
- Overarticulation – the caregiver stretches out vowel sounds in words. 
 - For example, __‘mummy’s going to get a drink of teeeeeeeeea’__.

### __Rhoades__

![__Rhoades__](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-09/3fba2487-0107-4ee7-9e33-50edfe5b6f04/checklist-ticklist-tick-list-.jpg)

- In addition to this, Rhoades adds that also used is:
 - Short and simple sentences which are melodic.
 - Focus on what the child is doing.
 - Repetition of what the child and caregiver say.
 - Pausing between words.
 - Higher frequency of interrogatives and imperatives.
 - Slower speech.

## Test yourself on Interactionism

- What does CDS stand for?
- Who created a LASS (Language Acquisition Support System)?
- What was exceptional about Jim's circumstances in the case study by __Bard and Sachs__?
- __‘Mummy’s going to get a drink of teeeeeeeeea’__ would be an example of which of __Snow and Bruner's__ strategies?

[Practise this topic for free](https://app.senecalearning.com/classroom/course/8ba0c8b1-9e90-4088-8dd8-d20e52cdbc5b/section/064031d7-0da4-478f-abaf-35eb9e192bdd/session)

- Previous topic: [1.2.1 Behaviourism](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-for-primary-childrens-language-development-seneca-certified/1-2-1-behaviourism.md)
- Next topic: [1.2.3 Interactionism 2](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-for-primary-childrens-language-development-seneca-certified/1-2-3-interactionism-2.md)

## CPD for Primary: Children's Language Development (by Tom Hollins) contents

### 1 Children's Language Development
- 1.1 Stages of Development
  - [1.1.1 A Child's First Year & Consonant Acquisition](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-for-primary-childrens-language-development-seneca-certified/1-1-1-a-childs-first-year-and-consonant-acquisition.md)
  - [1.1.2 Consonant Acquisition](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-for-primary-childrens-language-development-seneca-certified/1-1-2-consonant-acquisition.md)
  - [1.1.3 Beginning Stages of Language](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-for-primary-childrens-language-development-seneca-certified/1-1-3-beginning-stages-of-language.md)
  - [1.1.4 Lexical Development](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-for-primary-childrens-language-development-seneca-certified/1-1-4-lexical-development.md)
  - [1.1.5 Stages of Development](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-for-primary-childrens-language-development-seneca-certified/1-1-5-stages-of-development.md)
  - [1.1.6 Grammatical Constructions](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-for-primary-childrens-language-development-seneca-certified/1-1-6-grammatical-constructions.md)
- 1.2 Theories of Language Development
  - [1.2.1 Behaviourism](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-for-primary-childrens-language-development-seneca-certified/1-2-1-behaviourism.md)
  - [1.2.2 Interactionism](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-for-primary-childrens-language-development-seneca-certified/1-2-2-interactionism.md)
  - [1.2.3 Interactionism 2](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-for-primary-childrens-language-development-seneca-certified/1-2-3-interactionism-2.md)
  - [1.2.4 Nativism](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-for-primary-childrens-language-development-seneca-certified/1-2-4-nativism.md)
  - [1.2.5 Chomsky](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-for-primary-childrens-language-development-seneca-certified/1-2-5-chomsky.md)
  - [1.2.6 Cognitivism](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-for-primary-childrens-language-development-seneca-certified/1-2-6-cognitivism.md)
  - [1.2.7 Social Constructionism](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-for-primary-childrens-language-development-seneca-certified/1-2-7-social-constructionism.md)