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Thinking and Language

Thinking and Language. Organizing Our Thoughts…. ( Making cognitive sense out of our world…). Cognition Concept Category Hierarchies We form concepts by… Definition prototypes. Problem Solving With Cognition. Cognitive Problem Solving: Algorithms Heuristics Insight.

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Thinking and Language

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  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

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

  5. Other Limitations of Heuristic Judgments… • 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 • Morphemes • Grammar (semantics and syntax)

  11. 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!

  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 MonthStage 4 Babbles speech sounds (receptive language) 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 Influences how we think… • 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. Thinking in Images • Examples? • Procedural memory (mental picture) • Mental (visual) simulation

  22. Animal Cognition

  23. Washoe Kanzi Washoe and Kanzi

  24. Washoe 1st 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 Linguistic Capability?

  25. 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???

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