Prompt 1
There is debate among developmental theorists as to what influences thoughts and behavior related to gender. For example, what influences a child to play with a doll versus a truck, or what influences a child to engage in active play versus passive play? Is gender identity more heavily influenced by biological or social factors? Be sure to support your position with material from your text.
Prompt 2
Some experts emphasize the importance of adult reinforcement of early speech (nurture) and others suggest that language learning is innate and biologically wired (nature). Reflect on this week’s video, “Out of the Mouth of Babes.” Which language development theory does this video emphasize, and how can you tell? To support your answer, provide an example of one of the experiments and explain how it fits into the learning theory process you identified.