Final answer:
A child repeating sounds made by their parent can be best explained by social conditioning, which entails the reinforcement the parent provides for the child's behavior. This reinforcement aids language learning, complementing the innate language acquisition device (LAD) proposed by Chomsky and contrasting with Skinner's emphasis on environmental reinforcement.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a child attempts to repeat sounds their parent makes, this can be primarily explained by social conditioning due to reinforcement from the parent. Behaviorists like B. F. Skinner argued that language learning occurs in response to reinforcement or feedback, such as the approval of parents or being understood. In this way, when a child imitates sounds or words and receives a positive response, they are likely to repeat the action. On the other hand, Noam Chomsky suggested that we have an innate ability to learn language, known as the language acquisition device (LAD), but also recognized that environmental factors play a role. In the end, language acquisition is understood as a combination of inborn capacities and learned behaviors through interaction with our environment.
Another example of this learning process in humans is when we train a dog to fetch a ball or stick by rewarding it with treats, we are employing conditioning techniques. Similarly, a child might receive a toy as a reward for cleaning their room, thus learning the desired behavior through positive reinforcement. This concept of conditioning is not just limited to positive reinforcement but also includes learning through punishment, such as a toddler receiving a time-out for undesired behavior.