Thinking and Language

Organizing Our Thoughts…. ( Making cognitive sense out of our world…) CognitionConcept Category Hierarchies We form concepts by…  Definition  prototypes

Problem Solving With Cognition Cognitive Problem Solving:  Algorithms  Heuristics  Insight

Limitations of heuristic judgments… Heuristic problem solving: hugely useful, but sometimes leads us astray…  Availability heuristic  Representative heuristic

Other Limitations of Heuristic Judgments… Overconfidence Belief Bias Belief Perseverance Framing

Obstacles to Problem Solving… Confirmation Bias Fixation  Mental sets / Rigidity  Functional Fixedness

Creativity and Cognition Definition? Correlation between intelligence and creativity??? Types of Creativity  Convergent Thinking  Divergent Thinking

Language is…. “…the Jewel in the Crown of Cognition.” “…complexity built of simplicity.”

Defining Language What component distinguishes language from other forms of communication?  Words (spoken, written or signed) 3 Factors of language development: Genetic predisposition, environment, maturation

Language Structure 3 Building Blocks of Language  Phonemes  Morphemes  Grammar (semantics and syntax)

Language Structure Phonemes  Smallest units of sound in language  40 in English language ( 869 in human speech)  Do changes in phonemes produce changes in meaning? Why? (Try an example…) Morphemes  Smallest units of meaning (includes prefixes, suffixes)  100,000 in English language = 615,000 words in Oxford Dictionary!

Language Structure Grammar: System of rules that govern language  Semantics: the study of meaning for morphemes, words, sentences.. Adding ed suffix = past tense  Syntax: rules for combining words into sentences o adjectives comes before nouns

Language Development MonthStage 4Babbles speech sounds (receptive language) 10Babbles household language 12one-word stage 24Two-word stage (telegraphic speech) (“I hitted my head.”= overgeneralization) 24+rapid development into complete sentences

Theories of Language Development Skinner vs. Chomsky

B.F. Skinner Language – Operant Conditioning (nurture)  Association pairing objects with words  Imitation Words and syntax modeled by others  Reinforcement Praise

Noam Chomsky Language occurs naturally / Nature Universal grammar underlies all human language (nouns, verbs etc.) Language Acquisition Device: (switchbox) Brain is prewired for universal grammar- thus ready to learn any of 6,000 languages (switches will be set to specific language over time)  Surface structure: organization of language  Deep structure: meaning

Language Development Babies- a built in readiness to learn grammatical rules Critical period oChildhood: best / only time to master certain elements of language (accent etc.) o2 nd language: those who learn it early learn it best o(Chomsky: L.A.D.- grammar switches set early) Learning window- closes gradually after age 7 oHearing children / deaf children: parallel results oNo language as child / language learning capacity never fully develops

Language and Thinking Linguistic Determinism Hypothesis  Language Influences how we think…  Examples? To expand language is to expand the ability to think.”

The Bilingual Advantage… Studies suggest that bilingual children…  Are more advanced in school  Are better at following complicated instructions  Demonstrate better mental flexibility  Tend to perform better on tests of creativity

Language deprived… 2/3 of the world’s children are bilingual 7% of U.S. children are bilingual

Thinking in Images Examples?  Procedural memory (mental picture)  Mental (visual) simulation

Animal Cognition

Washoe and Kanzi WashoeKanzi

Linguistic Capability? Washoe  1 st 4 years: 132 signs  Age 32: 181 signs  “Baby dead, baby gone, baby finished.” Equivalent of what human age? Kanzi  Critical Period  Semantic nuances of English

Vanishing Languages… 6,800 languages in the world today 250 spoken by 1,000,000 or more people 600 have speaking populations robust enough to last beyond the century Africa- birthplace of 1/3 of the world’s languages- 54 are extinct and 116 are near extinction South America: 640 languages- 80% spoken by 10,000 or less What’s causing accelerated language extinction???

Doublespeak…Can you speak it? 1. euphemism: spin words to avoid harsh, distasteful reality 2. Jargon- technical language of a trade, profession 3. Gobbledygook: Beauracratic / piled high verbage (BS) (accidental and purposeful) 4. Inflated language: impress / ordinary becomes extraordinary