Chapter 7 - What the Native Reactions Are

Upon first reading this chapter, I thought that James did not begin as perhaps many authors might by elucidating the concept of native reactions. Rather, he mentions fear and love.

"Fear of punishment is the great weapon of the teacher, and will always, of course, retain some place in the conditions of the schoolroom. The subject is so familiar that nothing more need be said about it. The same is true of Love, and the instinctive desire to please those whom we love. The teacher who succeeds in getting herself loved by the pupils will obtain results which one of a more forbidding temperament finds it impossible to secure" (p. 24).

But after reading a second time, I realize that James is chiefly presenting fear and love as the most vital of the native reactions. The fear of negative consequences or punishment and the need to be cared for, acknowledged and accepted  are among the most basic aspects of what it means to be human.

James outlines these essential aspects of child personality and behavior and shows how the individual might be habituated into a deeper evolution of intellect and behavior in a manner which might facilitate learning and one's eventual fitness to participate as a competent member of society. For example, James outlines the dichotomy between imitation (which he claims evolves into emulation and then ambition) and ownership which he describes as a driving motivating force for every human being, regardless of how selfless or noble they may be. And yet both of these native reactions will serve the teacher if they are stimulated and advantaged appropriately. To appeal to a child's innate desire to imitate and emulate what is presented before him or her and to give that same child a sense of ownership over what is presented in a classroom setting would make for a powerful motivators in the learning process.

On a personal note, I am thinking about all of these concepts presented in terms of my two-year-old. I recently purchased a Spanish immersion DVD from Whistlefritz. My undergraduate degree is in Spanish and I realize that while he will not acquire Spanish through DVDs and my infrequent and non-native interaction with him, I hope that I will allow him some facility in acquiring the phoneme vocalization capability that seems to be more open to children than adults (Ferguson & Farwell, 1975).

How do these concepts help you to understand learning relative to your own life situation? Do you know someone who did not experience a good transfer from a native to an acquired reaction? No doubt James will discuss the implications for such individuals.

References

Ferguson, C. A., & Farwell, C. B. (1975). Words and Sounds in Early Language Acquisition. Language, 51(2), 419-439. Retrieved from http://www.ling.ohio-state.edu/~kchall/Acquisition/Readings/ferguson_farwell.pdf