Language and Thoughts · Language and Thoughts Cognition ... Phonemes- smallest speech units ......

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Created by: Julia Virkler Language and Thoughts Cognition What comes first language or thought?

Transcript of Language and Thoughts · Language and Thoughts Cognition ... Phonemes- smallest speech units ......

Created by: Julia Virkler

Language and Thoughts Cognition

What comes first language or thought?

COGNITION

Cognition-mental process involved in acquiring knowledge.

Language- symbols that convey meaning & rules for those symbols

Metacognition-thinking about your thinking. Symbol-An abstract unit of thought that

represents an object.

ASL – used by more than 2 million people in the US. Other languages used by people with auditory disabilities: SEE & Pidgin

Language: Turning Thoughts into Words

Language: symbolic, semantic, generative, structured

Symbolic- one name for a variety of objects Semantic-meaningful Generative- can be put together in many ways Structured- grammar, rules

Structure of Language

Phonemes- smallest speech units (ex: “ch” and “th”) SOUNDS WITHIN THE WORDS

Morphemes- smallest units of meaning (stranger→strange, er)

Semantics- area of language with the meaning on words and combinations

Syntax- systems of rules that specify word arrangements (ex: noun and verb phrases)

Phonemes:

Language Development

Fast mapping- learn a word based on exposure Overextension- wrong word used to describe

objects or actions (ex: ball for all things round) Underextension- wrong word for a certain object

(ex: doll → favorite doll only) Overregularization- grammatical errors (ex: “the girl

goed home”) Telegraphic Speech: meaning without content ex:

“give doll”

The growth of school children's vocabulary

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Learning More Than One Language Bilingualism- fluent in two different

languages 5,000 English and 5,000 Spanish by 1st

grade instead of 10,000 of one language. Catches up by adolescents.

Theories of Language Acquisition

Behaviorist (Skinner)- children learn languages through imitation, reinforcement, and other conditioning, nurture. “say ball, and mamma will give you the ball.”

Nativist (Chomsky)- infinite number of sentences in a language-innate, nature, LAD Ex. Even Genie the Wild child had language.

B. F. Skinner Noam Chomsky

Brain/Cognition

Culture, Language, and Thought

Benjamin Whorf Linguistic Relativity- one’s language

determines the nature of one’s thoughts Ex: English and Eskimo’s views on snow What do you believe? Does language

determine your thoughts or do your thoughts determine your language? Or is it circular?

Benjamin Lee Whorf Eskimo Theory

Types of Problems Problems of inducing

structure: relations with numbers, words, symbols,

or ideas Problems of arrangement:

string problem and anagrams- insight

Problems of transformation: hobbits and orcs and water jar problem

Barriers of Effective Problem Solving

Irrelevant information Functional fixedness- to perceive an item

of its common use. Ex. Soup for table Mental set- people persist in using

problem solving strategies that have worked in the past

Unnecessary constraints

The Nine-Dot Problem

Solution

Approaches to Problem Solving

Trial and error- trying out possible solutions until one works

Algorithms- step-by-step procedure to a solution. Ex: Proofs

Heuristic- “Rule of thumb” in solving problems. Ex. I before E except after C

Culture, Cognitive Style, and Problem Solving

Herman Witkin Field dependence (external) vs. independence

(internal)- refers to individual’s tendency to rely primarily on external versus internal frames of references.

Related to cognitive, emotional, and social functioning

Decision Making: Choices and Chances

Involves evaluating alternatives and making choices among them

Herbert Simon’s theory of bounded rationality: people tend to use simple strategies in decision making that focus on only a few facets of available options and often results in “irrational” decisions that are less optimal

Taking Chances: Factors Weighed in Risky Behavior

Availability heuristic involves basing the estimated probability of an event on the ease with which relevant instances comes to mind Divorce is terrible based on your experience. 911-flying is dangerous

Representatives heuristic- involves basing the estimated probability of an event on how similar it is to the typical prototype of that event. A man dressed in scrubs is a doctor.

Conjunction Fallacy Odds that two uncertain events happening together are

greater than alone Attributed to influence of representative heuristics Marriage counselors are less likely to get divorced (untrue) Bank tellers save more money than most people. (untrue)

Reasoning About Decisions Gamblers Fallacy- odds of a chance event

increase if the event has not occurred recently.

Reasoning About Decisions

Overestimating the improbable- the tendency of greatly overestimating the likelihood of dramatic, vivid, but infrequent events that receive heavy coverage. Suicide actually has a higher mortality rate than homicide. Mosquitoes are actually more dangerous than sharks or

alligators.

Confirmation Bias and Belief Perseverance Confirmation bias- tendency to seek

information that supports one’s decisions and beliefs while ignoring disconfirming information. Drinking age

Belief Perseverance-tendency to hang onto beliefs in the face of contradictory evidence. Friends or relatives in Europe.

Overconfidence Effect

People put more faith in their estimates, beliefs, and decisions instead of objective information.

Effects of Framing

How decision issues are posed or how choices are constructed

Ex: which company has the cheaper price

Semantic Slanting

Choosing words to create specific emotional responses