PSYCH MIDTERM 2: CH 9 LANGUAGE AND THOUGHT

Definition of language

System of communication using symbols (grammar = rules)

Definition of grammar

A set of rules that specify how language units can be combined to produce messages

What is special about human language

Semanticity, Arbitrariness, Displacement, Productivity

Semanticity & Arbitrariness of Units

Words represent ideas but have no inherent connection to what they mean. Ex: The word dog has no natural link to an actual dog

Displacement of Time and Space

We can talk about things not present or events that haven’t happened. Ex: “I’ll travel to Mars someday.”

Discreteness & Productivity 

Limited sounds can be combined to create an infinite number of messages. Ex: English has ~40 phonemes but produces thousands of words

What is a pheneme

Smallest unit of sound in speech. Ex: bat = /b/ /a/ /t/ → 3 phonemes

What is a morpheme

Smallest unit of meaning. Ex: unhappiness = “un-” + “happy” + “-ness.”

What are the Syntactical Rules

Deep (underlying meaning of a sentence) and Surface structure (how the sentence is worded) 

What are the language development for infants 

Babbling, Telegraphic Speech, Overgeneralization 

Babbling

(~4–6 months) repetition of sounds, not words (“ba-ba”)

Telegraphic Speech

(~18–24 months) 2-word sentences, no function words. Ex: “Want cookie.”

Overgeneralization 

applying grammar rules too broadly. Ex: “I runned” instead of “I ran.”

What are the 3 language development

Behaviorist (Skinner), Nativist (Chomsky), Interactionist

Behaviorist (Skinner)

Language learned through reinforcement & imitation. Limitation: Can’t explain creativity in speech

Nativist (Chomsky)

Humans are born with an innate Language Acquisition Device (LAD)

Interactionist

Both innate capacity + social interaction shape language development

Describe Broca’s area

Left frontal lobe; involved in speech production. Damage = broken speech but meaning intact

Describe Wernicke’s area

Left temporal lobe; involved in language comprehension. Damage = fluent but nonsensical speech

What is the linguisitc relativity hypothesis 

Language shapes thought and perception. Ex: Inuit languages have many words for snow - more nuanced perception of snow

what is an example of a concept

A mental representation grouping objects/events. Ex: The concept of “bird.”

what is an example of a prototype theory

We categorize things by comparing them to a “best example.” Ex: Robin = prototypical bird, penguin less so

what is an example of a exemplar theory

We categorize by comparing to stored examples in memory. Ex: You recognize a penguin as a bird because you recall past encounters with penguins.

What is the rational choice theory 

People make decisions by determining the likelihood of outcomes and choosing the most beneficial one. Ex: If there’s a 20% chance of $500 vs. a 100% chance of $100, rational choice would pick based on expected value.

What are the heuristics

Availability Bias, Conjunction Fallacy, Representative Heuristic

Availability Bias

Judging likelihood based on what comes easily to mind. Ex: Thinking plane crashes are common because you saw it on the news.

Conjunction Fallacy

Assuming two things are more likely together than alone. Ex: Thinking “bank teller + feminist” is more likely than just “bank teller.”

Representative Heuristic

Judging by similarity to a prototype, ignoring probabilities. Ex: Assuming someone tall and athletic is more likely to be a basketball player than a teacher.

Problem Solving

Means-ends analysis, analogical problem solving