Chapter 8 - Language, Thinking and Reasoning - Key words

Question 1

Largely arbitrary system of communication that combines symbols (such as words or gestural signs) in rule-based ways to create meaning.

Answer 1

Language

Question 2

Category of sounds our vocal apparatus produces

Answer 2

Phonemes

Question 3

Smallest meaningful unit of speech

Answer 3

Morphemes

Question 4

Grammatical rules that govern how words are composed into meaningful strings

Answer 4

Syntax

Question 5

elements of communication that aren’t part of the content of language but are critical to interpreting its meaning

Answer 5

extralinguistic information

Question 6

meaning derived from words and sentences

Answer 6

semantics

Question 7

language variation used by a group of people who share geographic proximity or ethnic background

Answer 7

dialect

Question 8

intentional vocalization that lacks specific meaning

Answer 8

babbling

Question 9

early period of language development when children use single-word phrases to convey an entire thought

Answer 9

one-word stage

Question 10

language developed by members of a deaf community that uses visual rather than auditory communication

Answer 10

sign language

Question 11

proficient and fluent at speaking and comprehending two distinct languages

Answer 11

bilingual

Question 12

awareness of how language is structured and used

Answer 12

metalinguistic

Question 13

Systems of signs invented by deaf children of hearing parents who receive no language input

Answer 13

homesign

Question 14

allowing an infinite number of unique sentences to be created by combining words in novel ways
- i.e. language is this.

Answer 14

Generative

Question 15

account of language acquistion that suggests children are born with some basic knowledge of how language works

Answer 15

nativist account - developed by Noam Chomsky

Question 16

Hypothetical construct in the brain in which nativisists believe knowledge of syntax resides

Answer 16

Language acquisition device

Question 17

Account of language acquisition that proposes that children infer what words and sentences mean from context and social interactions

Answer 17

Social Pragmatics account

Question 18

View that all thought is represented verbally and taht, as a result, our language defines our thinking

Answer 18

linguistic determinism

Question 19

view that characteristics of langauge shape our thought processes

Answer 19

linguistic relativity

Question 20

reading strategy that involves identifying common words based on their appearance without having to sound them out

Answer 20

whole-word recognition

Question 21

reading strategy that involves sounding our words by drawing correspondences between printed letters and sounds

Answer 21

phonetic decomposition

Question 22

any mental activity or processing of information, including learning, remembering, perceiving, communicating, believing, and deciding

Answer 22

thinking

Question 23

our knowledge and ideas about a set of objects, actions, and characteristics that share core properties

Answer 23

concept

Question 24

the process of selecting among a set of possible alternatives

Answer 24

decision making

Question 25

the way a question is formulated, which can influence the decisions people make

Answer 25

framing

Question 26

generating a cognitive strategy to accomplish a goal

Answer 26

problem solving

Question 27

step-by-step learned procedure used to solve a problem

Answer 27

algorithm

Question 28

phenomenon of becoming stuck in a specific problem-solving strategy, inhibiting our ability to generate alternatives

Answer 28

mental set

Question 29

difficulty conceptualizing that an object typically used for one purpose can be used for another

Answer 29

functional fixedness