Thinking and Language (Test September 6th, 2024) Flashcards
Thinking
Changing and reorganizing memories to create new information.
3 types of thinking
Directed/convergent thinking- Has a goal. Ex. Getting to the answer to a math problem
Divergent thinking- Free-flow thoughts with lots of images and ideas, can be blocked by smartphone use
Metacognition- Planning/thinking about thinking, understanding yourself
Image
Language of thinking. Thoughts of pictures and things that can be seen, heard, tasted, smelled
Symbol
Language of thinking. An image that represents something more complex.
Concept
Language of thinking. Word used for a group of similar things. Ex. Vehichle= car, truck, etc.
Prototype
Language of thinking. The first image that comes to mind when picturing a concept.
Algorithm
Ways to solve problems. A formula that works every time.
Heuristic
Ways to solve problems. Mental shortcut to solution.
Insite
Ways to solve problems. The sudden emergence of a solution. Usually happens when you’re thinking about something else.
Deduction
Ways to solve problems. Drawing a big conclusion from small details.
Syllogism
Ways to solve problems. The theory that if A is true and B is true, C must also be true. Doesn’t always make much sense.
Mental set
Obstacles to problem solving/thinking. Problem-solving strategy becomes a habit and because there seems to be no issue we don’t change to account for new things. A hindrance; we tend to do the same thing that worked last time, so we don’t come up with new ideas and can struggle to adapt to change.
Functional fixedness
Obstacles to problem solving/thinking. Stops you from being inventive because you can’t see a new use for something.
Availability heuristic
Obstacles to problem solving/thinking. We tend to believe certain things happen more often than they do because the dramatic fails or successes stand out to us more in memory, such as flying on a plane and fearing a crash. Causes us to act irrationally.
Overconfidence bias
Obstacles to problem solving/thinking. Thinking we are better than we actually are. Dunning-Kruger effect
Dunning-Kruger effect
When we first learn something, our confidence goes up, but as we learn more we realize how much we don’t know and it does down. More slowly, confidence goes back up as we truly understand the subject more fully.
Irrational prudence
Obstacles to problem solving/thinking. Even is the chance of success is high, fear of failure stops you from trying.
Representative heuristic
Obstacles to problem solving/thinking. Judging people or situations based on stereotypes.
Framing
Obstacles to problem solving/thinking. How a problem is presented, can be used to get a certain answer from someone.
Confirmation bias
Obstacles to problem solving/thinking. Only looking at things that prove your opinion.
Normalcy fallacy/bias
Obstacles to problem solving/thinking. Believing that because something has never happened, it won’t ever happen. Prevents people from taking precautions.
Creativity
Also called recombination. It’s the opposite of fixedness, the ability to use information so the result is original and meaningful/useful. A high intelligence isn’t needed to be creative, but an above-average IQ (around 110) is helpful.
Language
Any system of communication, must be built. Ex.
Words- Written and spoken
Body language- Facial expression, etc.
Shorthand- Texting and emojis
Phonemes
Sounds made by the human tongue. There are 100 worldwide and 43 in English.
Morphemes
The smallest combination of sounds that have actual meaning. Ex. Un-, -ly, -es
1st written language
Appears around 3000 BC with the Sumerians in Mesopotamia.
Grammar
The rules we use to build/pronounce words.
Syntax
Combining words in such a way to produce understandable sentences. Ex. English typically has a subject-verb sentence structure.
Semantics
Extracting meaning from language, like when words sound the same but we can tell how they are used through context.
Overgeneralization
Lack of knowledge of the exceptions of grammar rules.
Noam Chomsky
Studied language and the stages of language development.
Stages of language development
- Crying at birth
- *Cooing- 2 months, vowel sounds
- Babbling- 4 months, all sounds
- *Refined babbling- 9 months, the baby stops using phonemes it doesn’t hear every day
- Single word- Age 1, projects complete thought with one word
- Two words- Age 2, subjects and verbs
- Telegraphic speech- Age 3, no articles (a, an, the)
- *Complete thought expression- Age 5, average knows 14000 words
- *Critical period
Critical period
For language, it’s around age 7 to 12 and it becomes much harder to learn a language after age 15.
Genie Wiley
Feral child- A young individual who was raised isolated from human contact, missing their critical period, and will now never be able to speak fluently.
Percentages of how we communicate
Words- 7%
Vocal elements (tone, etc.)- 38%
Nonverbal (body language, gestures, etc.)- 55%
Types of body language
Eye contact, body position, gestures and movements, the clothes we wear, etc.
What is the universal body language?
Body language is different from culture to time to place, but facial expressions are universal.
Enclothed cognition
Clothing plays a big role in how our body language is portrayed. Tells other people your status, character, possibly occupation, etc.
How quickly are first impressions made?
Within the first 8 seconds of meeting you, someone will have judged you based on clothing, body language, greeting, handshakes, what you’ve said, etc. and it will stick with them throughout their entire time knowing you.
Can language change?
Language is changed, added to, and destroyed all the time for various reasons, sometimes for the government to exercise more control over citizen by literally limiting their word bank, changing the meaning of words such as the word snowflake (not weather), etc.
Benjamin Whorf
Studied linguistic relativism/influence- How language affects thoughts and culture. Language and thinking expand and limit each other, as well as influence behavior.
Is it possible to think without language?
Yes, through images, but there is no identification through words, and isn’t as useful. Language was created because it’s easier to think and communicate.
Why is language important physiologically and socially?
It communicates who we are, not just what we know, through body language, clothing language, and spoken language. Language also makes it easier to lie, so you don’t know who a person truly is until pressure is applied.
Broca’s area
The coherent production of speech in the brain. Gets commands from Wernicke’s and provides motor movements to express thoughts. If damaged, one can’t physically communicate but thinks well enough.
Wernicke’s area
Speech processing and understanding language. If damaged, one can physically communicate but will think and speak in a nonsensical way.
Aphasia
Any impairment of language involving brain damage. Can occur at birth or after.
Monster Study
A study done on 22 orphans in Iowa, 1939. Wanted to find out if you could cure stuttering through positive reinforcement and if you could induce it in someone who was normal with similar methods. The result was no cure to stuttering and no created stuttering in those that were normal either. Instead, those who were normal became more withdrawn and worked less productively.
