Chapter 8 Language, Thinking, Reasoning

Question 1

Language

Answer 1

Largely arbitrary system of communication that combines symbols (words/gestural signs) in rule-based ways to create meaning

Question 2

Automatic

Answer 2

Requiring little attention to perform

Question 3

Phonemes

Answer 3

Category of sounds our vocal apparatus produces

Question 4

Morpheme

Answer 4

Smallest meaningful unit of speech

Question 5

Syntax

Answer 5

Grammatical rules that govern how words are composed into meaningful words

Question 6

Extralinguistic information

Answer 6

Elements of communication that aren’t part of the content of language but are critical to interpreting its meaning

Question 7

Semantics

Answer 7

Meaning derived rom words/sentences

Question 8

Dialects

Answer 8

Language variation used by a group of people who share geographic proximity/ethnic background

Question 9

Sound symbolism

Answer 9

Certain word sounds have intrinsic meanings

Question 10

Babbling

Answer 10

Intentional vocalization that lacks specific meaning

Question 11

One-word stage

Answer 11

Early period of language development when children use single-word phrases to convey an entire thought

Question 12

Sign language

Answer 12

Language developed by members of a deaf community that uses visual rather than auditory communication

Question 13

Bilingual

Answer 13

Proficient/fluent at speaking/comprehending two/more languages

Question 14

Metalinguistic

Answer 14

Awareness of how language is structured/used

Question 15

Homesign

Answer 15

System of signs invented by deaf children of hearing parents who receive no language input

Question 16

Critical period

Answer 16

Windows of time in development during which an organism must learn an ability if it’s going to learn it at all

Question 17

Sensitive period

Answer 17

People more receptive to learning/can acquire new knowledge more easily

Question 18

“Less is more” hypothesis

Answer 18

• Children have more limited info processing abilities, fewer analytic skills, less specific knowledge about how language works than do adults, learn language more naturalistically/gradually from “ground up”
• Adults impose more organization/structure on learning, makes learning language more challenging

Question 19

Imitation account

Answer 19

Language learned through imitation

Question 20

Generative

Answer 20

Allowing an infinite number of unique sentences to be created by combining words in novel ways

Question 21

Nativist account

Answer 21

Account of language acquisition that suggests children are born with some basic knowledge of how language works

Question 22

Language acquisition device

Answer 22

Hypothetical construct in the brain in which nativists believe knowledge of syntax resides

Question 23

Overregularization

Answer 23

Applying synaptic rules when they shouldn’t

Question 24

Social pragmatics account

Answer 24

Account of language acquisition that proposes that children infer what words/sentences mean from context/social interactions

Question 25

General cognitive processing account

Answer 25

Children's ability to learn language results from general skills that children apply across a variety of activities

Question 26

Linguistic determinism

Answer 26

view that all thought is represented verbally, as a result, our language defines our thinking

Question 27

Linguistic relativity

Answer 27

View that characteristics of language shape our thought processes

Question 28

Stroop interference condition

Answer 28

ID colour of ink, suppress attention to words

Question 29

Learning to read

Answer 29

1. Writing is meaningful 2. Writing moves in a specific direction 3. Recognize letters of the alphabet. 4. Printed letters correspond to different sounds

Question 30

Whole word recognition

Answer 30

Reading strategy that involves IDing common words based on their appearance without having to sound them out

Question 31

Phonetic decomposition

Answer 31

Reading strategy that involves sounding out words by drawing correspondences between printed letters/sounds

Question 32

Thinking

Answer 32

Any mental activity/processing of info including learning, remembering, perceiving, communicating, believing, deciding

Question 33

Concepts

Answer 33

Our knowledge/ideas about a set of objects, actions, characteristics that share core properties

Question 34

Decision-making

Answer 34

Process of selecting among a set of possible alternatives

Question 35

Framing

Answer 35

The way a question is formulated, which can influence the decisions people make

Question 36

Neuroeconomics

Answer 36

How the brain works when making financial decisions

Question 37

Problem-solving

Answer 37

Generating a cognitive strategy to accomplish a goal

Question 38

Algorithms

Answer 38

Step by step procedure used to solve a problem

Question 39

Mental set

Answer 39

Phenom of becoming stuck in a specific problem-solving strategy, inhibiting our ability to generate alternatives

Question 40

Functional fixedness

Answer 40

Difficulty conceptualizing that an object typically used for one purpose can be used for another