Language and Thought

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary terms related to the psychology of language and thought, including theories, notable studies, and definitions relevant to communication and cognition.

Clever Hans

A horse that appeared to perform arithmetic and other tasks, thought to have understood instructions.

Viki

A chimpanzee who could say only four words: mama, papa, cup, and up.

Washoe

A chimpanzee who learned approximately 160 words in American Sign Language.

Sign Language

A visual means of communication using signs alongside speech, often used for teaching non-human primates.

Nim Chimpsky

A chimpanzee taught sign language, who mastered 125 signs but did not use true language.

Generativity

The ability to create new words or phrases, as demonstrated by Koko's spontaneous reference to a zebra.

Kanzi

A male chimpanzee who learned hundreds of words and combined them into phrases.

Concept Formation

The process of grouping or categorizing features of related objects or events.

Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis

The theory that language influences thought and perception.

Assimilation

Using existing schemes to interpret new information.

Accommodation

Changing existing schemes based on new information.

Equilibration

The balance between assimilation and accommodation in learning.

Family Resemblance Theory

The idea that members of a category share features but not all members share all features.

Prototype Theory

The concept that we categorize by comparing new instances to a 'best' or 'most typical' member.

Exemplar Theory

Categorization based on comparing new instances with stored memories of other instances.

Category-specific deficit

Inability to recognize objects in a specific category while recognizing others.

Rational Choice Theory

Decision-making based on the likelihood of outcomes and their perceived value.

Heuristics

Mental shortcuts that simplify decision-making.

Availability Bias

The tendency to rely on easily available information for decision-making.

Conjunction Fallacy

Believing that the conjunction of two events is more probable than either event alone.

Representativeness Heuristic

A mental shortcut based on how closely something resembles a typical case or prototype.

Framing Effects

Different responses to the same problem based on its presentation.

Sunk-Cost Fallacy

The tendency to continue an endeavor once an investment in money, effort, or time has been made.

Problem Solving

The process of overcoming obstacles to reach a goal.

Insight

The sudden realization of a solution to a problem, often characterized by an 'aha!' moment.

Algorithm

A step-by-step problem-solving procedure that guarantees a correct solution.

Heuristic

A general guiding principle for problem-solving that does not guarantee a solution.

Mental Set

Tendency to rely on familiar strategies that may hinder problem-solving.

Functional Fixedness

The inability to see that a familiar object can be used in an unconventional way.

Cognitive Psychology

The scientific study of the mind and its processes, including perception, thinking, memory, and language.

Temporal Lobe

The region of the brain associated with processing auditory information and encoding memory.