1. Thinking and Language

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

3. Problem Solving With Cognition
Cognitive Problem Solving:
Algorithms
Heuristics
Insight
Trial and error

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

5. Obstacles to problem solving…
Overconfidence
Belief Bias
Belief Perseverance
Framing

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

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

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

9. 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

10. Language Structure 3 Building Blocks of Language Phonemes (Ssss, P, T)
Morphemes
Grammar (semantics and syntax)

11. Language Structure Phonemes Morphemes
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!

12. 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
adjectives comes before nouns

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

14. Theories of Language Development
Skinner vs. Chomsky

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

16. 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

17. Language Development
Babies- a built in readiness to learn grammatical rules
Critical period
Childhood: best / only time to master certain elements of language (accent etc.)
2nd language: those who learn it early learn it best
(Chomsky: L.A.D.- grammar switches set early)
Learning window- closes gradually after age 7
Hearing children / deaf children: parallel results
No language as child / language learning capacity never fully develops

18. Language and Thinking Linguistic Determinism Hypothesis
Language determines (limits?) how we think…(facilitates cognition)
Examples?
To expand language is to expand the ability to think.”

19. 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

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

21. 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???