Cog Psych: Exam #4 Flashcards
symbolic definition of language
the use of symbols to represent ideas
Generative definition of language
the ability to produce many different messages by combining different symbols in different ways
Structured definition of language
there are rules for how language is organized and produced (grammar)
competence definition
set of rules that all users of language have available
ex: what could be real words (all fake but some follow the rules - can be subconscious)
performance definition
how rules are implemented within language behavior - these are individual differences
Hierarchy of language
phoneme - morpheme - word - phrase - sentence
Phonemes definition
sounds of language
Morpheme definition
smallest unit of meaning
bound morphemes
units that cannot stand along but are appended to stems (s, ed, ing)
free morphemes
units that stand alone
inflectional morphology
typically modify words to fit structure of sentence (does not change meaning)
ex: quacks vs. quacked
Derivational morphology
changes the meaning when it is modified
ex: gentleman (person) —> gentlemanly (a way of acting)
Evidence for language structure
speech error: unintended deviations from the speech-plan
* you can only make errors within a level*
Types of speech errors
exchange error: an error in which two linguistic units are substituted for each other during sentence production
- word exchange: writing a mother to my letter
- morpheme exchange: he relaxes –> he relax
- phoneme exchange: spill beer –> speer bill
Text comprehension requirements
1) perception: sensory input for words
2) attention + WM: updating, inhibition, shifting
3) episodic memory: retaining knowledge of prior material you read
4) semantic memory: retrieving meaning of words as you read and using schemas
5) visual imagery
Local coherence
integration of ideas within the immediate context
Study with local coherence (words with multiple meanings)
words that have multiple meanings:
1) equibiased meaning: 50-50 used
2) non-equibiased meaning: one meaning is used more than other
- track eye movements
Equibiased; if the meaning occurred after, you took longer
Nonequibiased: if the meaning occurred after, you took longer (have to go back and reread as you picked the wrong one)
Equibiased and nonequibiased: if the meaning occurred before, everything was the same
How quickly does context occur?
given a sentence with an ambiguous word (could have two meanings ex here is “bug”) - probed with a related word (will cue you into correct meaning) either immediately after or 3 syllables after
- results: if immediately primed, you are quicker to say “spy” AND “ant” are words - both meaning are activated
- if delayed primed, you are faster for “ant” - context has operated in the time span and you only have one meaning come “online” and the other is forgotten
expectations
you are quicker to say something is a word if you were expecting it
Global coherence definition
track and integrate major ideas of the story
Study on central ideas
given a story
1) without a cue: asked to recall as many details as possible
2) cue: told the central idea of the story
results: you are better if you know the central idea before reading the story - you organize facts based on a central idea/goal
Interruptions in a story
you remember interruptions (to the achievement of the central goal) the best in a recall test (better than script actions or irrelevant details)
causal chains
things that relate to each other - you can not achieve the goal if any of the connections are missing
ex: goal: walking into the house – take out keys - unlock door - open door
Causal chains and memory
events that have more casual connections in a story the better they are recalled on a later test - you think more steps mean it is more important so you focus on this