Chomskys Language Acquisition Device and Classical Conditioning Theory may
explain Symbolic Acquisition.

   * I can think of at least five different processes that may account for
     the development of these Referent-Symbol associations.

   * Their roles may vary depending upon the stage of language development
     the child has reached.

   * 1. The Language Acquisition Device (LAD): Chomsky proposed a special
     neurological system in the human brain that facilitates language
     development.

   * He called this the Language Acquisition Device (LAD). It is possible
     that this system provides the human brain with the capacity to make the
     referent-symbol association with minimal stimulation and little effort.

   * This certainly comes to mind as one observes the two and a half year
     old child pickup words with dazzling speed.

   * 2. Classical Conditioning: In one of Pavlovs experiments in learning,
     he rang a bell when he fed a dog.

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