Chapter 4: Cognition, Consciousness, and Language

Question 1

What are the 5 basic components of language?

Answer 1

• phonology
• morphology
• semantics
• syntax
• pragmatics

Question 2

In language, what does “prosody” refer to?

Answer 2

• The rhythm, cadence, and inflection of our voices.
  
  • pragmatics are also affected by prosody

Question 3

In language development, what is an important precursor to language?

Answer 3

babbling

Question 4

What is the timeline acquisition for babbling?

Answer 4

9 to 12 months

Question 5

What is the timeline of language acquisition for about a word per month?

Answer 5

12 to 18 months

Question 6

When does the “explosion of language” and combining words begin?

Answer 6

18 to 20 months

Question 7

At what age are language rules largely mastered?

Answer 7

5 years old

Question 8

At what age does the child start constructing longer sentences (3 words or more)?

Answer 8

2 to 3 years of age

Question 9

What is the Nativist (Biological) Theory of language development?

Answer 9

The nativist (biological) theory advocates for the existence of some innate capacity for language.

• **in this theory, this innate ability is called the language acquisition device (LAD), a theoretical pathway in the brain that allos infants to process and absorb language rules**
• nativists believe in a “critical period” for language acquisition between two years and puberty
• a “sensitive perior” is a time when environmental input has maximal effect on the development of an ability.
  
  • most psychologists consider the sensitive periof for language development to be before the onset of puberty

Question 10

In the Nativist (Biological) Theory, what is the critical period and the sensitive period?

Answer 10

• Critical Period -> is a critical period for language acquisition between two years and puberty.
• Sensitive Period -> is a time when environmental input has maximal effect on the development of an ability.
  
  • most psychologists consider the sensitive period for language development to be before the onset of puberty

Question 11

In language development, what is the Learning (Behaviorist) Theory?

Answer 11

Learning (Behaviorist) Theory explanes language acquisition by operant conditioning.

• very young babies are capable of distinguishing between phonemes of all human languages, but by 6 months of age, show a strong preference for phonemes in the language spoken by their parents.
• Skinner explained language acquisition by reinforcement. That is, parents and caregivers repeat and reinforce sounds that sound most like the language spoken by the parents.
  
  • Thus, over time, the infant perceives that certain sounds have little value and are not reinforced, while other sounds have value and are reliably reinforced by parents and caregivers.
• While this may account for the development of words and speech, many psycholinguists point out that this theory cannot fully explain the explosion in vocabulary that occurs during early childhood.

Question 12

In language development, what is the Social Interactionist Theory?

Question 13

Concerning the influence of language on cognition, what is the Whorfian hypothesis (linguistic relativity hypothesis) suggest?

Answer 13

Whorfian hypothesis suggests that our perception of reality - the way we think about the world - is determined by the content of language.

**in essence, language affects the way we think rather than the other way around**

Question 14

What does the Broca’s area in the brain control?

Answer 14

Broca’s area controls the motor function of speech via connections with the motor cortex.

* located in the inferior frontal gyrus of the frontal lobe *

Question 15

What is the Wernicke’s area in the brain responsible for?

Answer 15

Responsible for language comprehension.

* located in the superior temporal tyrus of the temporal lobe *

Question 16

What is Broca’s (expressive) aphasia?

Answer 16

• When damage occurs to Broca’s area, speech comprehension is intact but the patient will have a reduced or absent ability to produce spoken language.
  
  • patients are often very frustrated because they are stuck with the sensation of having every word on the tip of their tongue

Question 17

What is Wernicke’s (receptive) aphasia?

Answer 17

• When Wernicke’s area is damaged, motor production and fluency of speech is retained but comprehension of speech iis lost.
  
  • patients speak nonsensical sounds and inappropriate word combinations devoid of meaning
  • patients with Wernicke’s aphasia often believe that they are speaking and understanding perfectly well, even through the people around them have no comprehension of what is being said

Question 18

What is conduction aphasia?

Answer 18

• If the arcuate fasciculus is affected (connects the Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas), conduction aphasia results.
  
  • speech production and comprehension are intact
  • patient is unable to repeat something that has been said because the connection between these two regions has been lost
  • this is a rare form of aphasia

Question 19

What iss divided attention?

Answer 19

the ability to perform multiple tasks at the same time

Question 20

What is the definition of selective attention?

Answer 20

is focusing on one part of the sensorium while ignoring other stimuli

**thus it acts as a filter between sensory stimuli and our processing systems**

Question 21

Compare and contrast controlled (effortful) processing and autommatic processing.

Answer 21

• Controlled (effortful) Processing -> most new or complex tasks require undivided attention, and thus utilize controlled processing.
• Familiar or routine actions can be performed with automatic processing, which permits the brain to focus on other tasks with divided attention.