20. Language and thought Flashcards
What is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?
Language s____ the way we think and determines w____ we can think a____
Language shapes the way we think and determines what we can think about
What do the three versions of Sapir-Whorf hypothesis state?
The language someone speaks…
1. S____ - determine h____ they think
2. W____ - makes some thoughts e____ and others d____
3. V____ w____ - affects how e____ information is e____ and r____
STRONG VERSION–determines how they think
WEAK VERSION–makes some thoughts easy and others difficult
VERY WEAK VERSION –affects how easily information is encoded and remembered
What are four criticisms of Whorf?
1. S____, w____-by-w____ approach to t____
2. Assumed every aspect of language structure is r____ in t____
3. Ignored fact people can have c____ without having s____ w____ for them
4. Ignored fact language differences go together with c____ differences
- Simplistic, word-by-word approach to translation
- Assumed every aspect of language structure is reflected in thought
- Ignored fact people can have concepts without having single word for them (more complex expressions)
- Ignored fact language differences go together with cultural differences
In the Traditional View, T____ has priority over l____ and languages are t____ to e____ the thoughts we have.
Thought
language
tailored
express
Wharf states not having a word for a concept makes it…
Hard/impossible to understand
Robertson et al. found across tasks categorical perception of colour was aligned with what? These results suggest what?
C____ t____
Suggest that p____/t____ is guided by language c____
Colour terms
Suggest that perception/thought is guided by language categories
It is easier to for Russian speakers to discriminate two blues, if one is light and one is dark.
The effect disappears when people do a v____ i____ task at the same time. This prevents them using v____ l____ for the c____
if people do a verbal interference task at the same time!
The verbal interference task prevents them using verbal labels for the colours.
How did English and Spanish speakers compare on language when watching videos of accidental and intentional vase breaking?
For intentional events: no difference
For accidental events: English speakers used more agentive descriptions (“She broke…”) than Spanish speakers
How did English and Spanish speakers compare on memory when watching videos of accidental and intentional vase breaking?
For intentional events: no difference
For accidental events: English speakers remembered the correct actor more frequently than Spanish speakers
Vygotsky observed children’s development and saw language and thought are i____ s____
“i____ s____” gradually becomes the major form of thinking
initially separate
(early language is mainly vocal imitation)
“internal speech”
Fill in the gaps about Vygotsky’s Three Stages:
Stage one: language and thought are i____
Stage two: o____ spoken a____ to behaviour
Stage three: At about __ years speech becomes i____
1: independent
2: overt, accompaniments
3: 7, internalised
Vygotsky believed that speech and thinking are never what?
Identical
What happens in Vygotsky’s stage one?
- Language and thought are i____
- Speech is mainly i____
- Thought is similar to thought in n____-h____ a____
- Independent
- Imitative
- Non-human animals
What happens in Vygotsky’s stage two?
- O____ spoken accompaniments to behaviour
- “E____ s____” - not intended for o____
- Words direct a____, but c____ with a____ is not o____
- As children grow older, words more often p____ action
- Overt
- “Egocentric speech”, others
- attention, connection, action, obvious
- precede
What happens in Vygotsky’s stage three?
- At about __ years, speech becomes i____
- I____ speech becomes the m____ way of t____
- 7, internalised
- Inner, thinking
