The view of language learning that underscore the concept of limitation and habit formation is

• A. Constructivism
• B. Nativism
• C. Cognitivism
• D. Behaviorism

Answer: (D)

Behaviorist theory treats language learning as the growth of language-use habits formed through imitation, practice, and reinforcement. It sees learning as a change in observable behavior produced by environmental stimuli, where correct forms and uses are strengthened by rewards or practice. Because progress comes from repeating and consolidating responses that are reinforced, learners develop habitual patterns of language rather than inner, conscious rule knowledge. This focus on conditioning and habit formation explains why the view emphasizes limitations to what gets learned—only those behaviors that are reinforced become enduring habits.

By contrast, constructivism emphasizes active meaning-making through experience; nativism argues for an innate language faculty and universal grammar; and cognitivism centers on internal mental processes like memory and problem-solving. These perspectives don’t foreground habit formation and environmental reinforcement in the same way, which is why behaviorism is the best fit for the described view.