language, thought and communication

Question 1

piaget theory of lang description

Question 2

piagets theory of language evaluation

Question 3

sapir wharf hypothesis description

Answer 3

LANF THOUGHT BEFORE THOUGHT
-states our thoughts and behaviors are affected and formed by the language we speak
-cultures with different languages and vocabulary will have different ways of thinking and understanding things

language may therefore make us focus on certain ways of seeing and understanding things, some things are easier to understand, some things are earlier to recall

-there may be cultural and generational differences in the way words are understood
-someways of thinking are more common than others

Question 4

sapir wharf hypothesis evaluation

Answer 4

WEAKNESS=
-hypothesis has been criticised and some of their methods have been deemed unreliable, for example, -Eskimo’s have approximately the same number of words for snow as people who speak English.
-he never met the hope tribe
-people who loose the ability to speak can still think

Question 5

variation of recognition of colors

Answer 5

-native american tribe have one word for blue and green
-studies show english speakers perceive a bigger difference between the shades
-Russian speakers have different words for lighter and darker blues, they can recognize the difference between them quicker

Question 6

variation in recall of events

Answer 6

studies show that english and spanish speakers describe intended and accidental actions
-english speaker had a better recall of who was involved in accidental actions
-intended both groups identify who was involved

Question 7

4 main reason animals communicate with eachother

Answer 7

1. survival- call their young , alarm calls, growling
   2.reproduction-displays with color attract a mate and ensure reproduction
   3.territory
   4.food-ants communicate using pheromones for a variety of messages like location of food, bees can dance to tell eachother where food is

Question 8

Von Frischs bee study description

Answer 8

AIM:to investigate how bees communicate the location of food sources to eachother
STUDY DESIGN: field experiment, in natural setting, limited extraneous variables
METHOD:containers of food sources of sugar-water were placed at different locations. Hive with glass slides was used to observe bees behavior. when bees visited the containers, they were marked with a spot. researcher observes and recorded movements bees made when returned
RESULTS: when food source was less then 100m away the bees did a circle to right and left dance
when food was further away, bees did a waggle dance
the straight part of dance used to show location is position to sun
CONCLUSION: bees use a variety of different movements to communicate to each other about the distance and direction of food source

Question 9

Von Frischs bee study evaluation

Answer 9

STRENGHTS=
-encouraged others to carry out research in animal communication area
-when research is repeated the study, they found the same results shows consistency
WEAKNESSES=
-gathering sugar water from glass containers is not natural behavior for bees
-bees don’t generally live in glass hives
- other research shows bees find food based on memory of landmarks

Question 10

2 properties of language and communication

Answer 10

1. productivity-is the ability to create an unlimited number of different messages. It allows language to be used creatively and is not found in animal communication
   2.displacement-is the ability to communicate about things that are not present or events that have yet to happen in the future.

Question 11

Evaluating Design Features of Language

Answer 11

WEAKNESS=
-difficult to know which properties of language are exclusively used by humans
-behaviourof Koko is not naturally occurring behaviour therefore may simply be imitating humans.
-ethical issues around keeping wild animal in captivity and training them in an unnatural way

Question 12

non verbal communication definition

Answer 12

conveying messages without the use of words 

Question 13

verbal communication definition

Answer 13

conveying messages using words
-includes sign language and visual cues

Question 14

function of eye contact

Answer 14

1.regulating flow of conversation.
studies show more pauses and interruptions in conversation when dark glasses were worn.
2.pupil dilation expresses emotion
male participants chose the picture of a girl whose pupils were dilated when asked which were more attractive
3.people prefer those who look at them more frequently-looking is signal of attraction


Question 15

function of posture

Answer 15

closed posture= arms are folded legs are crossed
indicated rejection or disagreement
open posture= arms are not folded, and legs are not crossed
indicates approval of acceptance

people who are getting on well together, adopt each other’s postures when having a conversation - postural echo shows friendliness

Question 16

functions of touch

Answer 16

-difference between different cultures on the amount of touch that is permitted between individuals
-Research found that touch can lead to people being favoured more positively. when librarian briefly touched their hand of someone returning their books they had a more positive attitude to the library.
-touch can be persuasive too. When you briefly touch other people, research has found they are more likely to agree to your request.
when man did not touch woman’s hand when asked to dance success rates fell

Question 17

factors affecting personal space

Answer 17

GENDER differences in personal space.

-Men tend to have a bigger personal space boundary than women
-both genders prefer to have a greater amount of space between themselves and members of the opposite sex.
-Women prefer to sit next to their friends by their side while men prefer to sit opposite them

Other factors that affect personal space like AGE

-Research suggests people tend to sit or stand next to people if they are a smaller age.

STATUS is another factor that affects personal space.

-Studies have found that people tend to stand closer to others they deem to be of the same status as themselves

CULTURAL
-norms are another factor that affects personal space.
english people say 1m, for arab people this was much closer.

Question 18

darwin theory of non verbal communication describtion

Answer 18

-Darwin’s theory proposed that emotional expressions were innate or due to genetics.

-suggested several principles for the evolution of non-verbal communication that expresses emotions.
-for example, humans may have used biting as an early form of self-defence. In a similar way to animals, early humans may also have exposed their teeth as a threat signal.
-A serviceable associated habit happens when we have a similar experience, but the behaviour now does not serve the same purpose.

-also suggests forms of non-verbal communication are actually caused by our nervous system. For example, dilated pupils and an open mouth are part of a frightening facial response, but they are also the same effects of adrenaline being released in CNS
-Pupil dilation increases visual information and allows us to potentially see the best way to avoid danger.

Question 19

Darwin’s evolutionary theory of nonverbal communication evaluation

Answer 19

STRENGTHS=
-Medical evidence supports the idea that the function of our nervous system causes certain actions, such as pupil dilation.
WEAKNESS=
- other theories show behaviours are learned through the observation and replication of other people.
-It is possible that behaviours may be both innate and learned.

Question 20

evidence non verbal behavior innate

Answer 20

-Facial expressions should be the same across all cultures and research evidence suggests lots of expressions are universally recognised by most cultures throughout the world.

-One experiment filmed people from Papua New Guinea telling a story using non-verbal communication. The film was shown to college students from America who were able to accurately identify the emotions they conveyed.

-Research into neonate facial expressions has shown that they use a pre-cry expression to convey sadness, as well as smiling, disgust, pain and surprise. This further supports the argument that some facial expressions may be innate behaviour.

Question 21

222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222wevidence that non-verbal behavior is learnt 

Answer 21

Yuki’s study of emoticons suggests the way we interpret facial expressions is in part due to culture and nurture (learning).

-non-verbal communication is learned at the same time we learn to use language with both learned through social interactions.

Question 22

yuki emoticons study description

Answer 22

AIM= to see if culture affects how facial cues are used when understanding other poeoples emotions
STUDY DESIGN= questionnaire with standard questions to all participants with a scale rating of one to nine. American and Japanese students
METHOD= showed pants and emoticons with six different combinations of eyes and mouths. either neutral, happy or sad. participants were asked to read how happy each face was.
RESULTS=
Japanese students gave highest rates to faces with happy eyes and lowest to faces with sad eyes
American students gave the highest ratings to the faces with happy mouths and lowest ratings to the faces with the sad mouths. suggest that Japanese an American people look at different parts of the face when interpreting emotions
CONCLUSION= people learn their own cultures, norms for the expressions and interpretations of emotions 

Question 23

Yuki emoticons study evaluation

Answer 23

STRENGTHS=
-Yuki carried out a second study using photographs and the same results were found
-provide support for theory that nonverbal behavior is learnt
WEAKNESS=
-used emoticons instead of real faces
not natural, low ecological validity
-participants were aware they were taking part..may not have given true responses 
-Limited sample or participants for students
-Study only looked at happy and sad expressions cannot be generalized for all emotions