Final answer:
Steven Pinker's thesis aligns with Noam Chomsky's view of an innate language acquisition capacity in humans, while also considering B.F. Skinner's reinforcement theory, relating to both natural and nurtured aspects of learning in babies and birds.
Step-by-step explanation:
The thesis proposed by Steven Pinker is closely related to the mechanisms behind language acquisition in babies and certain learning behaviors in birds. Pinker, like Chomsky, believes in an innate capacity for language learning, aligning with the idea of a Language Acquisition Device (LAD). This biological predisposition suggests that while reinforcement, like Skinner's theory, plays a role in learning, there is also an inherent structure within our brains that facilitates language learning.
Similarly, birds display innate behaviors that help them survive and interact with their environment, such as pecking to receive food from a parent or using complex displays for attracting mates. These behaviors show both instinctual actions and learning from their environment, supporting the idea that animals are products of both nature and nurture. In humans, observable from a young age, the facility with which language is acquired points to an underlying biological framework that is most effective during a critical period of development. Thus, Pinker's thesis reinforces the notion that the rapid and effective language learning observed in babies may be mirrored in the instinctive and learned behaviors seen in birds.