1. Do Now Look at the symbols to the right. Is their one that is “different” from the others? Why or why not? How did you make that judgment?

2. Key Words Cognition Symbol Schema/ Scripts Prototype Algorithm Heuristics Convergent Thinking Divergent Thinking

3. Cognition (Thinking) Mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating 1

4. Symbols Symbol- an object that stands for something else. What are some examples of symbols?

5. Symbols What does this symbol invoke?

6. Prototype Activity (first thing that comes to mind) Think about a tool, write it down, what does it look like? What color? Think about a vegetable, write it down. Think about a bird, any bird, what is the image in your head?

7. schema = mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people …usually based on prototypes (mental image or best example of a category) Scripts = schemas about familiar sequences of activities We put the car in gear AFTER it’s started right? An Eagle is a prototype of a bird, a turkey is not. 2

8. Algorithms A rule (step-by-step procedure) that guarantees the right solution to a problem. They work but are sometimes impractical. S P L O Y O C H Y G If we were to unscramble these letters to form a word using an algorithmic approach, we would face 907,200 possibilities. 3

9. Heuristics A rule of thumb that generally, but not always, can be used to make a judgment to solve a problem. It is fast, but is…prone to errors Two major types of heuristics 1 Heuristics are a mental “short cut” S P L O Y O C H Y G Rule out “YY” combinations Put a Y at the end, and see if the word begins to make sense. 4

10. Representativeness Heuristic Judging a situation based on how similar the aspects are to the prototypes the person holds in their mind. (stereotypes???) Not Santa… 5

11. Availability Heuristic Judging a situation based on examples of similar situations that initially come to mind. Vivid examples in the news often cause an availability heuristic. 6

12. Convergent Thinking Logical and not creative thought process Tied to knowledge more than creativity Multiple choice and matching tests 7

13. divergent thinking: Spontaneous and free flowing ideas – Brainstorming – Free writing – Daydreaming Essay tests, Drawings 8

14.  Insight  Sudden and often novel realization of the solution to a problem  Contrasts with strategy-based solutions – Both humans and animals have insight 9

15. Obstacles to Problem Solving Mental set = tendency to stick to problem-solving strategies that have worked in the past Fixation – unable to see problem from fresh perspective The Matchstick Problem: How would you arrange six matches to form four equilateral triangles? 10

16. Obstacles to Problem Solving Functional Fixedness – tendency to think of things only for their usual functions All he needed was a ball-point pen and a paper clip. 11

17. Heuristics can lead to Overconfidence… Our confidence is not a good indicator of how right we are. Overconfidence: tendency to overestimate the accuracy of our knowledge & beliefs. “ I made an “A” in an AP class, all of my future classes will be easy.” 12

18. What Color is the Dress?

19. Black, blue, gold, or white?????

20. Belief Perseverance- maintaining a belief even after it has been proven wrong. Confirmation bias: looking for info that supports our preconceptions, ignoring contrary info. Political implications?

21. The takeaway: You cannot argue facts against beliefs (or opinions against viewpoints) The opposite is also true: If share a viewpoint or belief with another, then you can persuade them of things that are clearly not true.

22. Framing Effect 90% of the population will be saved with this medication…..or 10% of the population will die despite this medication. What is the best way to market ground beef — as 25% fat or 75% lean? The way a problem is presented can drastically effect the way we view it. 15

23. Intuition Effortless, immediate, automatic feelings or thought Gut-sense 16

24. Language Psychology, Ms. Seetin Unit: Cognition, Learning, & Language

25. Do-Now “Does the fact that you speak English (or insert native language here) instead of Greek- or Chinese instead if Swahili- determine how you reason?”

26. Benjamin Whorf Believed just that! In fact, as evidence for his linguistic relativity hypothesis, Whorf offered a now classic example. (Because Inuits supposedly have many words for snow), therefore, they can reportedly perceive and think about snow differently from English speakers, who only have one word….snow

28. Whorf’s linguistic relativity hypothesis on blast Although intriguing, Whorf’s hypothesis (AKA Sapir- Whorf Hypothesis) has not fared well. First, he apparently exaggerated the number of Inuit words for snow and ignored the fact that English speakers have a number of terms to describe various forms of snow such as slush, sleet, hard pack, and powder.

29. This begs the question- Just because you do not have as many words to describe things- does that actually mean that you experience them differently?

30. Eleanor Rosch says NO She found (1973), that even though the people of the Dani tribe in New Guinea possess only two color names- one indicating cool dark colors, and the other describing warm, bright colors- they discriminate among multiple hues as well as English speakers do.

31. Therefore, Whorf was mistaken in his belief that languages determines thought. HOWEVER, there is no doubt that language influences thought. In fact, it was one survey showed that people who speak both Chinese and English report that the language they’re currently using affects their sense of self. (when using Chinese, they tend to conform to Chinese cultural norms and vis versa)

32. Words also influence the emotions/ thinking of those who hear them That’s why companies avoid firing employees; instead, employees are outplaced or nonrenewed.

33. Language 17

34. Do-Now 4/21 Review: what is a morpheme and a phoneme? (which is smaller) Do you think that animals have language capabilities? Why or why not?

35. Structure of Language Phonemes- smallest unit in a language - Consonants, vowels, th, sh, ch,…. Morphemes- Smallest unit that caries meaning - Dog, van, ing, ed,… 18

36. Structure of Language Syntax = rules to combine words (grammar) Semantics= word meaning “the girl the boy saw” – violates syntax “the rapid freedom ran around the curious emptiness” – obeys syntax, but violate semantics 19

37. Language Development 20

38. Language Development Babbling stage (4 months) One-word stage (1 year) Two-word stage (2 years) Telegraphic speech (2-3) 21

39. Bilingual Children Bilingual advantage (Lambert) – “Bilingual children who learn to inhibit one language while learning another, are also better able to inhibit their attention to irrelevant info” 22

40. More about Sapir–Whorf hypothesis Does our language (English) influence our cognitive processes? How many words are there for “Big” “Crazy” and “Angry” in American English? Are these words a reflection of our culture or a driver of perspective? 23

41. Explaining Language Development Chomsky (Nativist theory) & Inborn Universal Grammar – Language acquisition device: innate mechanism or process that allows language (unique to humans) – Universal grammar: common structure for language among all cultures

42. Explaining Language Development Critical Periods – After early language development, we lose ability to pronounce sounds that are not used in our primary language

43. Do animals use language? Bees have form of communication Chimps & gorillas have been taught to “sign” – but do they understand meaning? Humans are unique in ability to speak complex language