Chomsky's 1957 critique helped birth cognitivism by introducing which concepts?

• A. Poverty of the stimulus and universal grammar
• B. Behaviorist reinforcement
• C. Connectionist networks
• D. Symbolic logic

Answer: (A)

Language learning hinges on innate mental structures rather than just what a child is exposed to. Chomsky argued that the linguistic input children receive is too impoverished to fully specify a language’s grammar, a point known as the poverty of the stimulus. He then proposed universal grammar, a set of structural principles shared by all languages, suggesting these rules are part of our innate endowment. Together, these ideas emphasize internal cognitive mechanisms and representations guiding language, fueling the shift toward cognitivism. The other options point to theories not introduced in this critique: behaviorist reinforcement is the mechanism Skinner proposed and Chomsky challenged; connectionist networks and symbolic logic describe different approaches and origins that aren’t the core focus of this critique.