Lecture 8 Flashcards
Define language
system of symbols, sounds,
meanings, and rules of combination that allows for communication among humans
Phonemes vs morphemes
Phonemes: the smallest units of sound
Morphemes: the smallest units of meaning
What do phrases and sentences consist of
Phrases are composed of morphemes
Sentences: strings of morphemes and
phrases that express a thought or intention
What are some examples of non verbal communication
- vocal intonation
- body language (crossed arms)
- gestures (often involving the hands or fingers)
- physical distance
- facial expressions
- touch
How many basic phenomes
100
Receptive vs productive vocabulary
Receptive: Children can understand a word even if they can’t produce it
Productive: Words a child can actively use in speech
What is fast mapping
The ability of children to learn a new word after hearing it once or twice
Over extensions vs under extensions
OE: When a child broadly applies a word (Ex: calling all 4 legged animal dogs)
UE: When a child applies a word narrowly (Only calls their pet dog and not other dogs)
Overregularizations
When a child applies grammatical rules to words even if they don’t properly grasp the meaning of the word. Ex: Go-ed - talking about past tense
Define nurture vs nature
Nurture (behaviourist). B. Skinner argued that children imitate the
utterances of their parents
* Skinner suggests that children receive differential reinforcement for speech sounds
Nature (nativist) Chomksy argued that language acquisition appears
to be universal across culture (could not be accounted for by learning)
What are critical periods
Critical periods assume that an organism must develop a function within a limited time frame or
it will not develop at all
* Children easily learn second languages, adults have great difficulty
Case of genie
Isolated children have language impairments:
* Genie: was isolated as a child and was unable to learn complex language as an adolescent
What is problem solving
Refers to the process by which we
transform one situation into another to meet a goal
Problem solving strategies
Algorithms are systematic procedures that will produce a solution to a problem
– Hypothesis testing: make an educated guess about a problem; then test it
– Mental simulation: mental rehearsal of the steps needed to solve a problem
What are some barriers in problem solving
Irrelevant information: Refers to information included in a situation that does not help in creating actual solutions to the problem
Functional fixedness: When one limits themselves to using a method different from the traditional way of using it
Mental set: Tendency to approach a problem based on past experiences
unnecessary constraints: People assume that the solution has stricter guidelines that restricts their thinking
Approaches to problem solving
Algorithms: Step-by-step procedures that guarantee a solution but may be time-consuming.
Heuristics: Mental shortcuts or rules of thumb that simplify decision-making, but may not always lead to the optimal solution.
Forming Sub-Goals: Breaking a larger problem into smaller, more manageable tasks to make progress incrementally.
Working Backward: Starting from the desired goal and working backward to find the steps needed to reach that goal.
Searching for Analogies: Applying solutions from past experiences or problems to current ones based on their similarities.
Changing the Representation of the Problem: Reframing the problem or changing its presentation to make it easier to solve.
Base rate fallacy
The base rate fallacy refers to the cognitive bias in which people tend to ignore or undervalue statistical information (base rates) and focus instead on specific information that is more immediate or emotionally salient. This fallacy occurs when individuals make judgments about the likelihood of an event based on anecdotal evidence or emotional impressions, rather than considering the actual probabilities or statistical data.
Impact of vivid events
The impact of vivid events—those that are emotionally charged, dramatic, or frequently covered in the media—can significantly distort people’s perceptions of risks. People often overestimate the likelihood of rare but dramatic events (like natural disasters or homicides) while underestimating the risks associated with more common, less sensational events (like diseases)
Regression toward the average
Regression toward the average (also called regression toward the mean) is a statistical phenomenon that occurs when extreme or unusual performance (either very high or very low) is followed by more typical or average performance. Ex: People that win rookie of the year tend to not do as well in their second season
