Final answer:
B. F. Skinner is credited with the development of the behaviorist perspective of language, highlighting environmental reinforcement in language learning.
Step-by-step explanation:
The behaviorist perspective of language development is most closely associated with B. F. Skinner. Skinner is credited with the development of this perspective, which suggests that language learning occurs in response to reinforcement and feedback, such as parental approval or the success of being understood. Despite criticism by Noam Chomsky, who proposed an innate language acquisition device, Skinner's theory emphasized the role of environment and experience in shaping language through the mechanisms of operant conditioning.