Cognition 2: Exam Practice Questions Exam-Style Revision Notes (copy)

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

The theory that language influences thought and cognitive patterns.

Strong Version of SWH

The idea that language entirely determines thought; individuals can only conceive ideas for which they have linguistic labels.

Weak Version of SWH

The belief that language influences habitual thinking patterns but does not determine thought completely.

Universalism

The perspective that all human languages share a common underlying structure and cognition is largely independent of linguistic variation.

Berlin and Kay (1969) study

Identified a universal pattern in how languages develop colour terms, showing a universal aspect of colour cognition.

Linguistic Relativity

The principle that the structure of a language can influence the way its speakers conceptualize the world.

Stroop Effect

A demonstration of the automatic nature of linguistic processing where conflicting information disrupts cognitive control.

Affective forecasting errors

The inability to accurately predict future emotions and their impact on decision-making.

Prospect Theory

A theory that challenges classical rational decision-making by introducing reference points and loss aversion.

Loss Aversion

The psychological phenomenon where losses have a greater impact on individuals than equivalent gains.

Sunk Cost Fallacy

The tendency to continue investing in a decision based on past investments rather than future returns.

Cognitive Dissonance

The mental discomfort experienced by a person who holds two or more contradictory beliefs or values.

Verbal Overshadowing Effect

The phenomenon where verbalising a visual memory interferes with accurate recall of that memory.

Grammatical Gender Effect

The influence of grammatical gender in a language on the perception and description of objects.

Emotion Congruence

The concept that individuals' moods influence the decisions they make; happy individuals may take more risks.

Damasio’s Somatic Marker Hypothesis

The idea that emotional experiences create bodily signals that help guide future decision-making.

Cultural Influence on Colour Terms

The observation that even cultures with fewer colour terms can categorize colours around focal points.

Utility Theory

A theory suggesting that individuals make choices by calculating the expected utility of each option.

Framing Effect

The tendency for people's choices to be influenced by how the same information is presented.

Visual Memory Distortion

The alteration of memories based on verbal labels associated with visual stimuli.