Cognition - Mental activity associated with processing, understanding, and communicating information. Cognitive Psychologists: Psychologists who study thinking

Luxury, Mid-size, Economy CONCEPTS TRANSPORTATION Mental Groupings Prototypes Cars, Bicycles, Boats Toyota Camry Hierarchies Luxury, Mid-size, Economy

Problem Solving Trial & Error Algorithm Insight Heuristics Methodical, step-by-step procedure. Wrong, wrong, wrong…Got It! Problem Solving Insight Heuristics A-ha! The answer just came to me! Simple rule of thumb strategies.

Obstacles to problem solving, decision-making, and forming judgments Fixation Inability to see problem from a fresh perspective. Functional Fixedness Mental Set Stress/Tension Some stress is helpful, but too much can hinder clear thinking.

Obstacles to problem solving, decision-making, and forming judgments Representative Heuristic Judge the likelihood of events based on how well they match a prototype. Availability Heuristic Judge the likelihood of events on how available the event is in our memory. Influenced by media.

Representative Heuristic Linda is 31, single, outspoken, and very bright. She majored in philosophy in college. As a student, she was deeply concerned with discrimination and other social issues, and she participated in antinuclear demonstrations. Which statement is more likely? Linda is a bank teller. Linda is a bank teller and active in the feminist movement.

The Availability Heuristic Consider the letter K. Is K more likely to appear in: The first position of a word? The third position of a word?

The Availability Heuristic It is a lot easier to think of words which start with the letter K than of words where K is in the third position. However, a typical selection of text contains twice as many words in which K is in the third position than words which start with K.

Obstacles to problem solving, decision-making, and forming judgments Overconfidence Overestimate the accuracy of our knowledge and judgments Framing The way an issue or question is posed can influence judgment and decisions Belief Bias Pre-existing beliefs will cloud logical reasoning.

Obstacles to problem solving, decision-making, and forming judgments Confirmation Bias Tendency to search for information that confirms one’s beliefs Changing a hypothesis requires greater cognitive effort than maintaining the same hypothesis Harder to deal with negative information than positive information Self-fulfilling prophecy (experimenter manipulating data)

Language lan·guage (l ng gw j) n. Communication of thoughts and feelings through a system of arbitrary signals, such as voice sounds, gestures, or written symbols. Such a system including its rules for combining its components, such as words. Such a system as used by a nation, people, or other distinct community; often contrasted with dialect. A system of signs, symbols, gestures, or rules used in communicating: the language of algebra. Computer Science. A system of symbols and rules used for communication with or between computers. [Middle English, from Old French language, from langue, tongue, language, from Latin lingua.

Language - Some common characteristics Semanticity-sounds of human language convey meaning. Arbitrariness-no connection between symbols and meanings. Dog has no resemblance to a 4-legged creature. Flexibility of symbols-language is changeable and “inventable.” Naming-we assign names to all objects, feelings, emotions, ideas, concepts. Imagine this sentence 50 years ago: “I am word processing on my personal computer.” Displacement-can talk about past, present, future. Productivity-new sentences are generated, not repeated.

The sounds of a language sh PHONEMES g ch f oo The sounds of a language

Morpheme - The smallest unit of language that carries meaning; may be a word or part of a word. UNDESIRABLES UN DESIR ABLE S

Grammar - System of rules for a language Language Structure Grammar - System of rules for a language Semantics - Rules used to derive meaning from morphemes, words, and sentences. Syntax - Rules used to order words into sentences.

The steps to language development Complete Sentences - 2yrs.+ Telegraphic Speech - 2 yrs. Two-word stage - 2 years One-word stage - one year Babbling Stage - 3/4 months

Inborn or Blank Slate? Universal grammar Made-up languages Learn whatever we hear Rate of learning CHOMSKY Computer’s ability to learn past tense verbs Associations, imitation, reinforcement SKINNER

How Did You Learn All Those Language Development How Many Words Do You Know? Average High School Grad Knows ~ 80,000 words Schools teach approx 200 words per year BUT You learned approx 5,000 words per year! How Did You Learn All Those Other Words?!?

The importance of age on language acquisition. CRITICAL PERIODS Case Study – Genie The importance of age on language acquisition.

Animals communicate, but do they use language? Bees: Intricate dancing communicates locations. Apes/Chimpanzees: Signing and pushing buttons on a computer, word strings, make requests. Apes: Inability to use proper syntax.

= Language Influencing Thinking Expand Vocabulary Linguistic Determinism: Benjamin Whorf’s hypothesis that language shapes a man’s ideas. Expand Vocabulary Expand Thinking Power =

Thinking without language Thinking in images Invention of new words Visualization techniques THINKING LANGUAGE