Language, thought and communication Flashcards
sapir whorf hypothesis summary
the language a person speaks has a great influence on the way they think and percieve
postural echo
mirroring body position in a social setting
Piaget’s theory
we learn through developing schemas
language depends on though-thought and understanding first, then language
Piaget used stages within his theory - what happened at the sensorimotor stage
0-2 years , children start to speak
pre operational stage
2-7 years , talk about things not present
concrete operational stage
7-11 years , children develop their own ideas
formal operational stage
11+ , talk about abstract concepts
evaluate piaget’s theory
+ supporting evidence
- contradicting evidence = sapir whorf hypothesis
sapir whorf hypothesis
not possible to think about something you do not have words for
thinking depends on language
strong version - no words for an object - cannot think about it
weak version - words help ‘carve up’ the world = you can still imagine things even with no words for them
evaluate the sapir whorf hypothesis
- assumes things that re not actually true = little difference between the number of words for snow that inuits and english have
+ research to support = studies on the recognition of colours
variation in the recall of events
hopi - don’t distinguish past, present and future which affects the way they think about time
language affects recall of events
memory for pictures is affected by the labels given
evaluate our view on the world
limited sample - only 1 individual from the hopi were studied
ambiguous materials - study not reflective of everyday life
recognition of colours
the zuni only have one word for shades of orange and yellow and in a study, they had difficulty distinguishing them
language affects recall of colours
berinmo people had difficulty recalling colours as they only have 5 words for colours
evaluate colour and language
- difficulties with cross cultural understanding
- opposite results between tribes
bee study - aim
to describe the movement of bees to understand their communication
bee study - method
put food close to glass hive, and far away
observed the bees by marking them with a sport of paint
bee study - results
round dance = 100 m away
waggle dance = points direction of food far away
60% of bees went to food sources
evaluate bee study
+ scientific value
- unnatural behaviours due to glass hive and paint and food
+ replicated and similar results obtained
survival
vocal sounds from vervet monkeys
visual signs from rabbits who lift tail and pin ears back
reproduction
peacocks stretch out their feathers like an umbrella to communicate genetic fitness
territory
rhinos leave piles of dung to communicate territorial boundaries
food
ants leave a pheromone trail to communicate location of food source
humans can plan ahead and discuss future events
humans can discuss things not presents
animals are focussed on present eg. food
creativity
humans have an open system combining many words together
animals have a closed system
single vs multiple channels
human language expressed many ways - spoken, written etc
eye contact - regulate flow
participants look away when about to speak and have a prolonged gaze when about to finish
eye contact - attraction
people who use eye contact are judged as more attractive
eye contact - expressing emotion
participants judged emotions as more intense of the had a direct gaze
evaluate eye contact
+ real world application = helps people with autism
- artificial studies = lack validity as studying eye contact is not normal
evaluate body language
+ real world application = people can use body language to build good relationships
- unethical as they do not know they are being studied
cultural difference for personal space
english peoples personal space is greater than arabs
personal space - gender differences
women feel comfortable when personal space is invaded from the side for men it is the front
personal space - status
people with similar status stand closer
evaluate personal space
+ real world application - useful in everyday situations
- unrepresentative samples
darwin - non verbal behaviour
baring teeth is adaptive
comparisons with human behaviour
our distant ancestors opened eyes wider to find a route to safety. this has been passed down and is an element of surprise
serviceable habits
behaviours used by ancestors to promote survival
still used by not the same purpose
darwins theory evaluation
+ research into newborns = babies are born with the ability to use eye contact and smile which suggests these nvcs are innate and evolved
- cultural differences in nvcs = differences between cultures such as personal space means his theory cannot explain all nvc
evidence that Non verbal communication is innate
neonate research
social releasers
facial expressions
sensory deprived
neonate research
if nvcs displayed by new born babies, this suggests that the behaviour is innate
social releasers
certain neonate behaviours eg smiling, makes others want to provide care, therefore are adaptive
facial expressions
neonates display an expression of disgust when given sour tastes suggesting it is innate
sensory deprived
thompson found blind children show similar facial expressions to sighted child - suggesting nvcs are innate
evidence that nvc is learned
cross cultural research
contact vs non contact cultures
gestures
explaining cultural differences
cross cultural research
comparing behaviours from different cultures shows if they are learned
contact vs non contact cultures
contact countries - latin prefer smaller personal space
non contact cultures - uk and usa prefer larger space
gestures
pointing index finger is offensive in hindu culture
explaining cultural differences
social learning theory - observe other people in your culture and imitate ( people learn what gestures are ok )
yukis study
comparing cultural understanding of non verbal behaviours can show whether it is universal or learned
yuki study - aim
to find out if there is a difference in the interpretation of emotions in japan and america
yukis study - method
6 emoticons shown with different combinations of eyes and mouths
participants rated faces in terms of happiness expressed on a 9 point rating scale
yukis study - results
japanese - higher happiness rating for happy eyes than americans
americans - higher happiness rating when mouths were happy even with sad eyes
Yukis study - conclusion
cultural differences in the way emotion is interpreted in facial expressions, japanese may use eyes because cultural norms lead to hiding emotions but hard to control the expression from the eyes
yukis study - evaluation
- artificial materials = emoticons leave out features such as wrinkle lines which may be important when judging emotions
- only tested one emotion = in everyday life, faces express a range of emotions not just happy and sad
