CPSY620 - Lecture 7 - Language

The speaker thanks Lisa for the introduction and Barbara for the invitation to the talk.
Aims to discuss connections between language, social groups, social interactions, and learning.
Main focus: how linguistic diversity marks social groups and facilitates interpersonal communication.

Social groups are an obvious feature of human societies and interactions.
Groups can be arbitrary; classic studies in social psychology illustrate this.
- Example study: Individuals estimated series of dots, later categorized as either underestimators or overestimators based on random assignment.
- Findings: Underestimators subsequently preferred to associate with other underestimators, showcasing fabricated group division dynamics.
Real divisions, such as gender, race, and age, are psychologically perceived and influence social interactions.
- Studies indicate difficulty in suppressing attention to these social categories.

Language often overlooked in research regarding social group identification.
Ancient example: Gileadites and the term "Shibboleth" as a linguistic identifier that resulted in life or death, highlighting the power of language in marking group identity.
- 42,000 Ephraimites killed for mispronouncing the word as "Sibboleth."
Language marks group identity, complicating social interactions, especially with linguistic diversity.
- Example from Tim James (2010 Alabama gubernatorial primary): Stance on driver's license exams offered in multiple languages shows the intersection of language, identity, and exclusionary attitudes.

Languages divide the social world; a focus of the talk.
Language exposure informs children's relationships with others through social interpretation, not merely content.
The significance of how one speaks may outweigh other characteristics like race.
The speech evaluations undertaken in various studies show biases based on linguistic markers.
- Study from the 1960s in Montreal: Participants evaluated bilingual speakers differently based on language spoken, attributing positive traits to one over the other despite identical content.

Evidence shows language discrimination abilities begin early in life, even in newborns who show preferences for their native language.
Research on infants: Preferences established for sounds they heard during last stages of pregnancy.
- Infants discriminate between languages due to early exposure, showing sensitivity to linguistic diversity from a young age.

Studies testing 10-month-old infants revealed an inclination towards native speakers in choosing toys.
- Babies in the US and France were shown toys after hearing familiar voices; they interacted more with toys presented by native-language speakers.
Follow-up studies examined food preferences among slightly older infants, suggesting cultural learning occurs subtly even before verbal communication develops.

As children age, preferences for native speakers are more pronounced in playmate selection and nonverbal imitation tasks.
- Children not only prefer native-language speakers but also show biases based on accents.
- Study showed five-year-olds preferred native accents over foreign accents, affecting social play and imitation.

Examined how children from different regions (Illinois vs. Tennessee) perceive various regional accents.
- Children developed preferences based on their own regional exposure, demonstrating stereotypes formed around accents.

In experimental settings, children displayed a preference for native speakers regardless of racial background, suggesting language as a more significant marker of identity than race in early decision-making.
Results indicate that when faced with a choice between race and language in social contexts, language carries more weight in forming judgments about individuals.

Studies demonstrated that children recognize language as a more stable characteristic than race in predicting future identity.
- This suggests an inherent understanding of the social role of language over the visual markers of race.

Being in a multilingual environment broadens social understanding and perspective taking, contributing to interpersonal communication skills development.
Evidence from studies illustrates that exposure to multiple languages increases children's capacity for effective communication in diverse contexts.
- Multilingual children demonstrated better performance in perspective-taking tasks than their monolingual peers, highlighting the social experiences gained through linguistic diversity.

Bilingual infants outperform monolinguals in tasks that require perspective-taking, pointing toward benefits derived from exposure to multiple languages.
Research suggests that social skill development is enhanced in children exposed to linguistic diversity, affecting their ability to navigate social complexities later in life.

The speaker wraps up by emphasizing the importance of language in social identity and communication, observing that language divisions are early emerging, robust, and influenced by cultural contexts.
Encouragement for understanding the vital role of linguistic diversity in the development of effective interpersonal communication.
Consideration of social implications: need to protect against discrimination based on language.

Acknowledgment of the contributions of colleagues and students.
Invitation for discussion on further studies relating to written language and discrimination patterns related to language.
Addressing nuances of accent acquisition related to social emotional intelligence and the complexities of language learning in various social contexts.