Language, Thought & Communication Flashcards
outline Piaget’s theory (language depends on thought) (9t)
- we learn through developing schemas
- language depends on thought
- young children can have language without understanding but will not be able to use it effectively (parrot)
- language begins to develop: -at the sensorimotor stage (0-2 years) children start to speak
- at the pre operational stage (2-7 years) children can talk about abstract concepts and are still quite egocentric
- at the concrete operational stage (7-11 years) children get the ability to use language is a logical way and can develop own ideas
schema
mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing
what is a weakness of Piaget’s theory (9t)
*schemas
P- schemas cant be scientifically tested and measured
E- schemas are abstract concepts so there isn’t any proof that they exist
L- theory isn’t based on solid scientific evidence and lacks scientific rigour
what is a weakness of Piaget’s theory (9t)
*Sapir-Whorf
P- Sapir Whorf hypothesis suggests the opposite of Piaget’s theory
E- Sapir and Whorf arguaed that language must come first as cultural research shows that if a word for an object for an object doesn’t exist we aren’t able to think about it
L-suggests that Piaget may have been about the relationship between language and thought (sometimes language may come first)
what is a strength of Piaget’s theory (9t)
*supporting evidence
P- has supporting evidence
E- the order of children’s two word phrases (eg.mummy car) shows understanding of possession and the relationships between objects and people before they start to talk
L- shows that children start to use language once their schemas for people and objects develop
outline the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (thinking depends on language) (9t)
- —–strong version:
- language determines thought
- if there are no words for an object or idea then you can’t think about it
- language you learn–>determines what you think about
- inuits have many different words for snow, shows that language and culture are linked, Inuits are able to perceive snow in many different ways which is not available to English speakers
- —–weak version:
- language influences thought
- words help to “carve up” the world, you can still imagine things with no words for them
- English speakers can still imagine/think about the different type of snow such as “soft snow on the ground”
- although there aren’t any specific words for it we can still imagine what it looks like
- —–which is better?:
- the weaker version
- we have limited memory for things we haven no words for
- info is easily described=better remembered
what is a strength of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (9t)
*working class
P- supporting evidence
E- Hopi tribe dosent distinguish past present and future and therefore has no concept of time
L- supports the Sapir Whorf hypothesis that language influences thought
what is a weakness of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (9t)
*exaggerated evidence
P- evidence from Boas may have exaggerated the difference in language between cultures
E- “Eskimo Vocabulary Hoax” may only be 2 words for snow in Eskimo culture
L- challenges the conclusion that language may determine thought
what is a weakness of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (9t)
*Piaget
P- just because a culture has more words doesn’t mean that the words came first
E- the more likely explanation–>Inuit language reflects the environment within it’s population–>always lots of snow–>language develops, thinking did come first but there was a need for a wider range of words
L- thoughts (about environment) come before language, Piaget
variation in recall of events:
Native Americans–>The Hopi
-Hopi don’t distinguish past, present and future, this affects the way they think about time
P- limited sample
E- only one individual was studied
L- lacked firm basis, cant be generalised
variation in recall of events:
–> language affects recall of events
-in a study where participants were asked to draw an image from memory after hearing a label (eyeglass or dumbell) memory for pictures was affected by the labels given
P- we aren’t always interpreting ambiguous information in everyday life
E- unambiguous situations would be less affected by labels
L- findings cant be generalised to every day life
variation in recognition of colours:
Native Americans–>The Zuni
-the Zuni people only have one word for shades of orange and yellow, in a research study they had difficulty distinguishing them
P- difficulties with cross cultural understanding
E- participants from other cultures may misunderstand the task or fail to communicate their answers correctly due to the language barrier
L- lacks validity
variation in recall of colours:
–> language affects recall of colours
-Berinno people had difficulty recalling colours as they only has 5 words for colour
P- other study has found opposite results
E- Dani people had no problem matching colours despite having only 2 words for colour (light+dark)
L- suggests that their lack of colour words did not affect their ability to think about colour
outline Von Frisch’s bee study (9s)
A: to describe dances of honey bees to understand their communication
M: -observed bees in their natural habitat
-sometimes changed their environment–>put food close to hive (10-20 meters) and far away (up to 300 meters)
-observed bees 6,000 times over 20 years
R: -bees tell each other where sources of pollen are
-round dance: moving in circle to show pollen is less than 100 meters away
-waggle dance: figure of eight shows the direction
-60% of bees went to sources at the distance indicated by the dances
C: sophisticated communication system
what is a strength of Von Frisch’s bee study (9s)
*valuable
P- important contribution to science
E- opened people’s eyes to the capabilities of animals
L- great scientific value
what is a weakness of Von Frisch’s bee study (9s)
*sound=overlooked
P- importance of sound was overlooked
E- when the bees performed dances in silence, other bees wouldn’t go and investigate the food sources
L- the communication system may be more complex and might include sound based signals
what is a weakness of Von Frisch’s bee study (9s)
*don’t always respond
P- bees don’t always respond to the waggle dance
E- bees wouldn’t use the info from the waggle dance when food was placed on a boat in the middle of a lake (bees may know instinctively that food won’t be found in the middle of water/may prefer not to)
L- may be other factors that affect communication; these aren’t investigated so the research is limited
what are the 4 functions of animal communication?
- survival
- reproduction
- territory
- food
why do animals communicate for survival
give an example of how
- to increase the animal’s survival of itself and it’s offspring
eg.
vocal signals: vervet monkeys communicate danger with an alarm call (warns others to run/hide)
visual signals: rabbits lift tail, pin ears back and leap forwards (signals danger to others when threatened)
why do animals communicate for reproduction
give an example of how
-to attract a mate, may animals use mating displays to signal to other members that they want to reproduce
eg.
peacocks: stretch out their feathers to communicate genetic fitness
why do animals communicate for territory
give an example of how
-many animals use scent marking to discourage other animals from invading their territory
eg.
rhinos: leave piles of dung to communicate territorial boundaries
why do animals communicate for food
give an example of how
-many animals use signals to draw attention to food sources
eg.
ants: leave pheromone trail to communicate food source
what are the three properties of Human Communication that aren’t present in Animal Communication
- displacement
- creativity
- multiple channels
lack of displacement in animal communication
- humans can talk about things that aren’t present or haven’t happened yet, we can use language to discuss future events and plan ahead as well as talk about things that don’t exist (ghosts)
- animals focus on things that are present (food or predators) they cant use language to discuss the future
lack of creativity in animal communication
-animal communication is a closed system (very restricted):
gestures, sounds and movements that animals use only refer to specific events
-human language is an open system:
words can be combined together in completely new ways (new ideas and sentences)
lack of multiple channels in animal communication
- human language can be expressed using many channels (spoken, written, social media, sign language)
- animals tend to communicate with a single channel (pheromones)
