Final answer:
Pinker's thesis on language development is related to the concept of an Innate Language Acquisition Device (LAD), which supports the idea that language acquisition is biologically hardwired in humans and complemented by environmental interactions and observational learning.
Step-by-step explanation:
Steven Pinker's thesis on language development can be related to how babies and birds learn through the concept of an Innate Language Acquisition Device (LAD). This idea, originally proposed by Noam Chomsky, suggests that the capacity to learn language is biologically hardwired in humans. Chomsky's theory posits that children are born with a mental structure preprogrammed to acquire language, challenging the behaviorist approach by B.F. Skinner who believed language learning comes from operant conditioning through reinforcement or feedback. Modern research supports a combined view, acknowledging that while there is an innate predisposition for language acquisition, it also involves learning through interaction with the environment. This middle ground aligns with the concept of cognitive learning, where animals learn a behavior in response to stimuli, and with the recognized importance of observational learning, as proposed by Albert Bandura, in the acquisition and development of language skills.