Ch 8: Thinking, Reasoning, and Language Flashcards
thinking
mental activity or processing information
heuristics
- mental “shortcuts”
- rules of thumb
- tools for making estimates
cognitive biases
default ways of thinking that make us systematically wrong
stereotyping
overgeneralizing our experiences with particular group members
availability heuristic
estimate likelihood based on how easily examples come to mind
decision making
the process of choosing between alternatives
- higher order cognition
cognitive economy
unimportant decisions made implicitly/unconsciously
- more time and effort to make important decisions
framing
question phrasing affects decisions
problem solving
generating a cognitive strategy to accomplish a goal
- often use algorithms
mental sets
after finding one solutions, it’s harder to set alternatives
- thinking becomes “boxed in”
functional fixedness
once we learn an object’s purpose, it is harder for us to use it in other ways
language
a combination of arbitrary symbols in rule-based ways to create meaning
phonemes
sounds we can vocally produce
- perceptually distinct
morphemes
smallest units with meaning in a language
- often words
- can be modifiers (“ish”, “ly”)
syntax
rules for constructing sentences
- word order
- sentence structure
- morphological markers
extralinguistic information
facial expressions, tone of voice, gestures, posture, setting
- used to interpret ambiguous info
learning language
children recognize their native language before they are born
first year (babbling)
any intentional vocal sound that lacks meaning
one word stage (< 2 yrs old)
comprehend basic syntax
- tend to over- and under-extend word meanings
language deprivation
occurs due to a chronic lack of full access to a natural language during the critical period of language acquisition
sign language
relies on visual communication
bilingualism
ability to speak and comprehend fluently in more than one language
nativist account (lang. acquisition)
we are born with some language knowledge
social pragmatic account (lang. acquisition)
social environment structures lang. learning
- simple word/action association vs. recognizing communicative goals
general cognitive processing account (lang. acquisition)
we learn lang. the same way we learn anything else
linguistic determinism
the concept that language and its structures limit and determine human knowledge or thought
linguistic relativity
the proposal that the particular language we speak influences the way we think about reality
reading
highly automatic process
speed reading
- avg. student can read 200-300 wpm
- > 400 wpm and comprehension drops
