Final answer:
The correct answer is option 2: a child who applies the term 'doggie' to all four-legged animals, which shows learning through environmental interaction and mimicking, supporting social learning theory. Both biological predispositions and the environment contribute to language development, with varying societal and cultural contexts shaping language acquisition.
Step-by-step explanation:
The evidence that supports social learning theory is option 2: A child who calls her family dog "doggie" calls all other four-legged animals "doggie" too. This illustrates how children learn language through interaction with their environment, assimilating new experiences into existing schemas, a concept which also aligns with B.F. Skinner's reinforcement theory. Children mimic and generalize terms based on their observations and social interactions, as in the example of the child labeling all four-legged animals with the term initially learned for their family pet.
Language development is a remarkable process and is understood to be influenced by both biology and environmental factors. Researchers like Noam Chomsky suggest that there is an innate biological predisposition for language acquisition, known as a Language Acquisition Device (LAD), which predetermines the natural ease with which children absorb and generate language. This biological framework intersects with the social environment as proposed by B.F. Skinner, who highlighted the importance of reinforcement and feedback from others in learning language.
In various cultures, the context of language socialization differs; however, in all cases, it is clear that societal and cultural factors play a significant role in language learning. Children develop language skill not only through direct instruction but also through immersion in a linguistic environment, which is rich with verbal communication from caregivers and the broader community, including instances of overheard conversations.