Chapter 8 - Language, Cognition, and Thinking Flashcards
Define: Language
-Largely arbitrary system of communication that combines symbols in rule-based ways to create meaning
Five components of language
-Phonemes
-Morphemes
-Syntax
-Semantics
-Pragmatics
(+Extra-linguistic info)
Define: Phoneme
-Smallest units of sound (cat = k, a, t) 45 in English
Define: Morpheme
- Smallest unit of meaning [M for meaning] by combining phenemes
- Free: Root words
- Bound: Attached to free, usually affixes
- Derivational: Changes meaning - UNkind (changes part of speech)
Define: Syntax
- Rules for combining words (eg, adjectives come before nouns)
- Grammar includes rules for combining morphemes and syntax
Define: Semantics
- Meaning we derive from morphemes, words, sentences
- eg, I don’t mind; mind your manners; lost his mind
Define: Pragmatics
- The way context contributes to meaning
- [Often involves ambiguity where a sentence can mean two things]
- Eg, John enjoys charming people
Define: Extra linguistic info
- Elements of communication that aren’t part of the context but are critical
- Non-verbal cues (facial expression, posture, tone, etc)
- (Pragmatics?)
Language production milestones
-Prenatal: Infants can distinguish their mother’s voice from stranger
-6-8 weeks: Cooing/laughter
-2-3 mo: 2 syllable babbling
6-9 mo: Canonical babbling (mama; meaning)
-10-12 mo: non-replicated (ba-da); recognize common words
-12 mo: first word (holophrases: single words as phrases)
-18-20 mo: two-word stage
-2 yrs: Telegraphic speech (3+ words)
Define: overextension
-Lack of words, so using one word for many things (doggie for any 4 leg animal)
Define: underextension
-(eg, poodle is a doggie, but chihuahua is not)
Define: Overregularization (over generalization)
- Grammatic rule misapplied to words with irregular plural past tense
- He goed there
Define: Infant directed speech
- “Motherease”
- Highly simplified, short phrases, exaggerated intonation, higher pitch, slow, repetition
Benefits of ID speech vs AD
- Captures infants attention
- decreased cortisol
ID singing
- same benefits as ID speech
- All cultures
ID singing research
- ID results in greater visual fixation
- decreased motor activity
- decreased stress sweating
- faster recovery following stressor
Lullabies vs Playsongs research
-greater visual attention, decreased SCL for lively playsongs
Define “Learning Perspective Account” of language acquisition
- Children learn via imitation and reinforcement
- Problem: doesn’t account for systematic errors like overregularization
Define “Nativist Account” of language acquisition
- Chomsky
- Children have “universal grammar” in LAD (language acquisition device), which is preprogrammed
- Problem: Genie who learned language really late
Define “Interactivist Perspective” of language acquisition
- Acknowledges both inborn (Chomsky) and social (learning perspective)
- Language is more a product of genes than experience
Define: Critical period
- Fluency failures for language deprived children
- More so for syntax and pronunciation
- Approx age of acquisition is 7 yrs, after which language acquisition is more difficult
Left Hemisphere (language)
- most dominant in language processing
- Right ear advantage
- Women show more more bilateral activation
Broca’s area (language)
- Tan
- Lack grammatical structure [but you can get basic concepts]
Wernike’s area (language)
- Words are clear, but sentences make no sense
- Syntactically full but semantically meaningless
Define: Cognition
- Human info processing
- Acquiring info: representation and categorization
- Storing and manipulating info: memory, problem solving
- Applying info: decision making, language
IDEAL problem solving
- Identify the problem
- Define and represent the problem
- Explore possible strategies
- Act
- Look back and evaluate the effects
Well-defined VS ill-defined problems
- Single correct solution (math, algorithm; but no creativity)
- VS many successful solutions
Define: Categories
-Groups of things, characteristics, etc, that share core properties
Define: schema
-concepts/mental models (two people arguing in street)
Define: script
-eg, the order things happen in restaurant
Heuristics: availability
- “off the top of my head”
- Can also cause bias, implications for people’s impression of likelihood of crime/accident (flying better than driving)
Heuristics: representativeness
- “like goes with like”
- Basically, stereotyping (race, etc)
- OR coin flips
Heuristics: Confirmation bias
- “seeing what you’re looking for”
- Emphasize outcomes that confirm pre-existing belief
Define: mental sets
- in-box thinking
- Water jugs example
Define: functional fixedness
- Failure to use familiar object in new ways
- Candle/matches/tacks example
Define: framing
- Way something is phrased
- “tar sands” vs “oil sands”
