Praxis SLP Licensure Exam 2026 – All-In-One Guide to Master Your Speech-Language Pathology Certification!

The belief that reinforcement plays a significant role in helping young children learn phonological patterns aligns with the principles of Behavioral theory. This theory emphasizes the role of environmental stimuli in shaping behaviors through mechanisms such as reinforcement and punishment. In the context of phonological learning, when a child receives positive reinforcement for correctly producing sounds or mastering phonological patterns, it encourages the repetition of those behaviors. This feedback loop helps solidify the learning process, making it more effective.

The other theories listed emphasize different aspects of language acquisition. Generative phonology theory focuses on the inherent structures and rules of phonological systems rather than reinforcement. Interactional-discovery theory highlights the importance of social interaction and discovery learning in language development, which does not primarily center on reinforcement. Prosodic theory deals with aspects of rhythm and intonation in language but does not focus on reinforcement as a key mechanism for learning. In contrast, Behavioral theory directly addresses the role of external rewards in learning, making it the most applicable choice in this scenario.