Chapter 9 - Language and Thought

Language

a system of symbols (spoken, written, signed) used to communicate thoughts and ideas

Language Production

Generating speech or signs

Language Comprehension

understanding speech, writting, or signs

Speech

Expressing language through sound

Cognition

includes learning, memory, decision making and problem solving

Language and Thought

• thought and language overlap but arent the same

• connects to cognition

Language, Technology and Social Interaction

• young adults use smartphones extensively

• they have less face to face interaction but are still highly connected

• during covid, virtual communication replaced in person norms which promoted new ways of using language socially

Structure of Language

1) Phoneme

2) Phonology

3) Morpheme

4) Semantics

5) Syntax

6) Pragmatics

Phoneme

smallest unit if sound (t, a, p)

Phonology

study of how sounds are used in a language

Morpheme

smallest unit with meaning (ex. jumped = jump + ed)

Semantics

study of meaning in words/sentences

Syntax

rules for sentence structure (word order)

Pragmatics

social rules for communication (tones, gestures, context)

Non Verbal Communication

• body language and gesturing play a huge role

• gestures are often innate

• can also cause miscommunication

Language Development Stages

1) Prevocal Learning

2) Cooing

3) Babbling

4) First Words

5) Telegraphic Speech

6) Grammar Mastery

7) Vocabulary Growth

Prevocal Learning

• 2-4 Months

• recognize phonemes from all languages

Cooing

• 2 months

• vowel like sounds (ooh)

Babbling

• 6 months

• experimenting with sounds (da-da-da)

First Words

• 1 year

• simple words like (mama)

Telegraphic Speech

• 2 years

• short sentences (want this)

Grammar Mastery

• 4 years

• understand sentence structure

Vocabulary Growth

• age 6

• 3000 spoken words

• 14,000 understood

Vocabulary and Soicioeconomic Status (SES)

• kids from low SES backgrounds hear fewer words and more prohibitions

• vocab differences at school entry can impact long term learning

• early interventions like reading at home can help close the gap

Theories of Language Development

1) Chomsky (nativist)

2) Critical Period

3) Skinner (behaviorist)

4) Interactive

5) Child Directed Speech

Chomsky (nativist)

humans have a language acquisition device (LAD)

language is innate

Critical Period

limited window (before 13) to fully develop language naturally

Skinner (behaviorist)

language is learned via reinforcement (praise, rewards)

Interactive

both biology and experience play key roles

Child Directed Speech

slower, emotional tone helps babies learn

Theories of Language Development Example

the case of genie supports the idea of a critical period

• she never fully developed grammer after severe language deprivation

Learning to Read

• starts age 5-6

• becomes automatic by age 8

• reading involves brain regions for vision, motor control and even smell with words like cinnamon

Language and the Brain Area

1) Brocas Area

2) Brocas Aphasia

3) Wernicke’s Area

4) Wernickes Aphasia

5) Right Hemisphere

6) Amygdala

Brocas Area

speech production (left frontal lobe)

Brocas Aphasia

trouble speaking but can understand

Wernickes Area

language comprehension (left temporal lobe)

Wernickes Aphasia

speech is fluent but nonsensical

Right Hemisphere

figurative language, metaphors, humor

Amygdala

responds to emotional or taboo language

Sign Language and Brain

activates similar brain areas as spoken language, especially for grammar

Bilingualism and Language Learning

• young learners can pick up multiple languages fluently and without accents

• older learners require more effort often using different brain areas (ex. prefrontal cortex)

• sign language also becomes harder to learn after age 13

Language Learning Fact

immigrants who learned english before age 7 reached native fluency after that proficiency declined with age

Gender Differences in Language

1) Early Speech

2) Brain Lateralization

3) Adult Language Skills

Early Speech

girls tend to speak earlier and comprehend more at young ages

Brain Lateralization

women use both hemispheres more than men

Adult Language Skills

no major gender differences in adulthood

Language and Indigenous Experience

• indigenous children were forbidden from speaking their native language

• resulted in trauma and language loss

• led to lost family connections, cultural identity and intergenerational communication

Do We Think in Words?

• we often assume language drives thought but thats not always true

• some thinking happens without words, espically with mental imagery or spatial navigation

Examples of Thinking Without Language

1) Mental Imagery

2) Spatial Navigation

3) Emotion and Sensory Thoughts

Mental Imagery

• imagining yourself on vacation or picturing your bedroom in your head

• involves visual parts of the brain not necessarily words

Spatial Navigation

• you might remember a route by visual cues not verbal directions

• more of a image based than language based

• “auto pilot driving”

Emotion and Sensory Thoughts

• thinking about fear activates the amygdala

• imaging a taste activates gustatory (taste) brain areas

The Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis (Sapir Whorf)

• the idea that the language you speak influences how you think

• also called linguistic determinism in its stronger form

Evidence for Relativity

1) Colour Words

2) Snow in Inuit Cultures

3) Concept of Living Things

4) Unique Culutral Words

Does Language Shape Thought

• yes in some ways

• language doesnt control thought but it influences how we categorize and talk about experiences

• shapes what we notice, how we describe it and how we remember it

Linguistic Relativity

language influences thought not dictates it

Controlled Processing

• effortful

• slow

• requires attention

• ex. doing math in your head

Automatic Processing

• fast

• doesnt need much attention

• ex. walking or driving

Cognitive Control

your brains ability to direct attention, resist impulse and plan ahead

Executive Function

the brain managing all that control (frontal lobe is key)

• ex. Phineas Gage lost his ability to plant and act appropriately after a brain injury (frontal cortex is crucial)

Types of Problem

1) Well Defined

2) ill Defined

Well Defined Problem

clear start and end (ex. math problem)

ill Defined

unclear goal or solution (ex. managing a difficult roomate)

Problem Solving Strategies

1) Algorithms

2) Heuristics

Algorithms

step by step method that guarantees a solution

• slow but accurate

Heuristics

mental shortcuts

• faster but can lead to errors

Common Heuristics

1) Working Backward

2) Subgoals

3) Analogies

Working Backward

start from the goal and go in reverse

Subgoals

break a big task into smaller aprts

Analogies

use a past similar problem as a guide

Problems in Problem Solving

1) Mental Set

2) Functional Fixedness

3) Confirmation Bias

Mental Set

getting stuck in past strategies

ex. only looking for one kind of solution

Functional Fixedness

seeing an object as useful only for its typical purpose

Confirmation Bias

only looking for info that supports what you already believe

Decision Making Process

1. Gathering info with heurisitcs

2. rational decision making

3. emotions matter

How do we use Heuristics to Make Decisions

1) Representativeness Heuristic

2) Availability Heurisitc

Representativeness Heuristic

judging based on how typical something seems (stereotypes)

Availability Heurisitc

judging based on whats easiest to recall

ex. plane crashes seem common because they are memorable

Rational Decision Making Process

1) We rank options based on criteria and importance (weight)

2) Ex. choosing a phone based on cost, size, apps

3) Bounded Rationality

Bounded Rationality

we cant always be purely logical so we work with limited info, time and emotional influences

Emotions Matters

• emotions can both help and hurt decisions

• cravings: quick emotional choice

• regret: turning down a small reward to avoid feeling cheated

• framing effects

Framing Effects

how something is worded changes how we react

ex. 75% fat free vs 25% fat

Metacognition : Thinking about Thinking

1) Self Reflection - how did i behave at a party?

2) Theory of Mind - understanding what others are thinking?

3) Source Memory - remembering where you got your information

Mindfulness = Metacognition Training

• help you focus, manage stress, make better decisions

• promotes emotional regulation and boosts executive function

Metacognition Develops Gradually

• young kids are egocentric and don’t understand other perspectives

• theory of mind comes around age 4

• lying to avoid punishment or protect others feelings starts early and becomes more common with age

When Thought Processes Break Down

1) OCD

2) Schizophrenia

OCD

obsessive - compulsive disorder

• even if people know their thoughts are irrational they feel unable to stop

Obsessions

uncontrollable thoughts

ex. fear of germs

Compulsions

repetitive actions

ex. washing hands

Schizophrenia

• disorganized thoughts, hallucinations, delusions, loss of contact with reality

• trouble with planning, working memory and organizing speech

Bounded Rationality

the fact that in many situations, our ability to make clear rational decisions is limited or “bounded” by things like a lack of information, time constraints, or emotions attached to aspects of the problem we are trying to solve