Chapter 8 Language, Thinking, Reasoning Flashcards
Language
Largely arbitrary system of communication that combines symbols (words/gestural signs) in rule-based ways to create meaning
Automatic
Requiring little attention to perform
Phonemes
Category of sounds our vocal apparatus produces
Morpheme
Smallest meaningful unit of speech
Syntax
Grammatical rules that govern how words are composed into meaningful words
Extralinguistic information
Elements of communication that aren’t part of the content of language but are critical to interpreting its meaning
Semantics
Meaning derived rom words/sentences
Dialects
Language variation used by a group of people who share geographic proximity/ethnic background
Sound symbolism
Certain word sounds have intrinsic meanings
Babbling
Intentional vocalization that lacks specific meaning
One-word stage
Early period of language development when children use single-word phrases to convey an entire thought
Sign language
Language developed by members of a deaf community that uses visual rather than auditory communication
Bilingual
Proficient/fluent at speaking/comprehending two/more languages
Metalinguistic
Awareness of how language is structured/used
Homesign
System of signs invented by deaf children of hearing parents who receive no language input
Critical period
Windows of time in development during which an organism must learn an ability if it’s going to learn it at all
Sensitive period
People more receptive to learning/can acquire new knowledge more easily
“Less is more” hypothesis
- Children have more limited info processing abilities, fewer analytic skills, less specific knowledge about how language works than do adults, learn language more naturalistically/gradually from “ground up”
- Adults impose more organization/structure on learning, makes learning language more challenging
Imitation account
Language learned through imitation
Generative
Allowing an infinite number of unique sentences to be created by combining words in novel ways
Nativist account
Account of language acquisition that suggests children are born with some basic knowledge of how language works
Language acquisition device
Hypothetical construct in the brain in which nativists believe knowledge of syntax resides
Overregularization
Applying synaptic rules when they shouldn’t
Social pragmatics account
Account of language acquisition that proposes that children infer what words/sentences mean from context/social interactions
General cognitive processing account
Children’s ability to learn language results from general skills that children apply across a variety of activities
Linguistic determinism
view that all thought is represented verbally, as a result, our language defines our thinking
Linguistic relativity
View that characteristics of language shape our thought processes
Stroop interference condition
ID colour of ink, suppress attention to words
Learning to read
- Writing is meaningful
- Writing moves in a specific direction
- Recognize letters of the alphabet.
- Printed letters correspond to different sounds
Whole word recognition
Reading strategy that involves IDing common words based on their appearance without having to sound them out
Phonetic decomposition
Reading strategy that involves sounding out words by drawing correspondences between printed letters/sounds
Thinking
Any mental activity/processing of info including learning, remembering, perceiving, communicating, believing, deciding
Concepts
Our knowledge/ideas about a set of objects, actions, characteristics that share core properties
Decision-making
Process of selecting among a set of possible alternatives
Framing
The way a question is formulated, which can influence the decisions people make
Neuroeconomics
How the brain works when making financial decisions
Problem-solving
Generating a cognitive strategy to accomplish a goal
Algorithms
Step by step procedure used to solve a problem
Mental set
Phenom of becoming stuck in a specific problem-solving strategy, inhibiting our ability to generate alternatives
Functional fixedness
Difficulty conceptualizing that an object typically used for one purpose can be used for another
