Language, Thought and Communication Flashcards
1
Q
AO1 of Piagets Thoery that Language depends on Thought
A
- Piaget’s theory concerns how our thinking changes as we develop and refine our schemas about the world
- Children develop their language by knowing the schema first and then matching the correct word to their knowledge; language comes after thought
- A child may copy a word when they hear others use it, but unless they understand the concept, they won’t be able to actually use the word to communicate
- Children only begin to start speaking at the end of the sensorimotor stage (first year).
2
Q
Evaluation points on Piagets Theory that Language depends on thought
A
- One weakness of this theory is that schemas cannot be scientifically tested or measured. It’s difficult to know if schemas exist as we can’t measure them directly. This suggests that Piagets theory isn’t based on solid scientific evidence
- Another weakness of this theory is that the Sapir Whorf theory argues the opposite of Piagets theory. They believe that language comes before thought and that if a word for an object doesn’t exist we aren’t able to think about it. This is a weakness because there’s evidence that goes against it/disagrees with it
3
Q
AO1 of Sapir Whorf Hypothesis
A
- Sapir and Whorf said it was impossible to think about something without having the words for it. There’s an argument whether words influence our thoughts or determine our thoughts, 2 versions
- (determine) STRONG= If a language has no words for a certain idea/thought, people who speak that language will have no way of thinking about it. This is why it’s difficult to translate some words/ideas from one lang to another.
- (influence) WEAK= Language influences the way in which people think about things but it doesn’t completely determine what they think. You can still imagine something with no words for it. If the words we have for a concept or idea are limited, our ability to notice or recall that idea will be limited. The weaker version is preferred
4
Q
AO3 of Sapir Whorf Hypothesis
A
- One strength is that the hypothesis explains the link between language and intelligence. Bernstein suggested that working-class children will always fall behind in school because their use of the restricted code will have a negative effect on their ability to think. This shows that language influences a particular type of thinking (intelligence).
- Another weakness is that differences between cultures may have been exaggerated by researchers such as Boas. There are actually only two words for snow in Inuit culture and English probably has more words for different types of snow. This shows that the differences aren’t that great, and challenges the conclusion that language may determine thought.
5
Q
What are the 4 ways animals communicate?
A
Food, Territory, Reproduction, Survival
Fruits Taste Really Sweet
6
Q
Animal Communication:
Food
A
- Animals use signals to draw attention to food sources. Ants release pheromones to signal food, they leave a pheromone trail which helps the other ants find their way to the food source
7
Q
Animal Communication:
Territory
A
- Animals mark their territory using scent marking. They spread their urine, faeces and other scents to discourage other animals from invading their territory. Rhinos lay thier dung in piles to mark territory and they stomp on it to leave a trail
8
Q
Animal Communication:
Reproduction
A
- Animals use matings displays to signal to other members of the species that they want to reproduce. The male peacocks stretch out its feathers like an umbrella to reveal its colourful pattern. The brighter the feather the healtheir the peacock therefore its more likely it’ll attract a mate
9
Q
Animal Communication:
Survival
A
- Communication is needed for animals to survive. Monkeys produce specific sounds that warn other monkeys of dangers. If a monkey sees a predator, they’ll produce a sound known as alarm calls. Rabbits will pin their ears back and leap forward to warn other rabbits of any dangers.
10
Q
What human communication isn’t present in animals?
CPS
A
- Creativity
- Plan ahead and discuss future events
- Single VS Multiple Channels
11
Q
Human Communication Not Present in Animal
Creativity
A
- Human language is an open system as words can be combined together in an infinite number of ways through sentences whereas animal communication is a closed system as the gestures, sounds and movements only refer to very specific events.
12
Q
Human Communication Not Present in Animal
Plan ahead and discussing future events
A
- Humans can use language to plan ahead and discuss future events (displacement) whereas animal communication tends to focus on things that’re physically present in the environment, such as food sources or predators. Therefore displacement isn’t a part of animal communcation
13
Q
Human Communication Not Present in Animal
Single VS Multiple Channels
A
- Human language can be expressed using a whole range of different methods/channels such as spoken, written or sign language and all the different types of social media and text messages. Animal communication tends to use single channels (pheromones).
14
Q
What was the aim of Von Frisch’s study
A
His aim was to see how bees communicated with each other
15
Q
What was the method of Von Frisch’s study
A
He put food sources close to the hive (within about 10-20 metres) and one futher away from the hive (up to 300 metres). If a bee visited a food source, he would mark it with paint. He then observed their behaviour at the hive
16
Q
What was the results of Von Frisch’s study
A
- He found that worker honey bees tell other worker honey bees where the pollen is by displaying one of 2 dances;
-
Round dance: If food is less that 100 metres away, the bees move around in a circle -
Waggle dance: If food is more than 100 metres away, the bee moves around in a figure of 8 shape. On the ‘straight’ section in the middle of the 8 they waggle their abdomen. The slower the dance, the further away the food source is. Von Frisch found that 60% of the bees watching went the find the food source
17
Q
What was the conclusion of Von Frisch’s study
A
Von Frisch concluded that bees have a very sophisticated form of animal communication. The bees signalling system has evolutionary value bc it helps survival
18
Q
AO3 of Von Frisch’s study
A
- One strength is that Von Frisch’s work made an important contribution to science. People knew that bees danced but had no understanding of the meaning of the movements. This shows how valuable his research was to science as its improved our understanding of how these animals communicate
- Another weakness is that bees do not always respond to the waggle dance. Gould found that bees did not use the information from the waggle dance to fly to nectar if it was placed in a boat in the middle of a lake. This shows von Frisch’s account was incomplete.
19
Q
Native Americans: The Hopi
A
- The Hopi language couldn’t distinguish between past, present and future. Rather than saying ‘I’ve left after a week’, Hopi’s would say ‘I left on the seventh day. The Hopi Indians are unable to refer to time passing in their native language and this influences the way they think about time
- One weakness is that Whorf’s research
cannot be generalised due to its small sample size. For example, Whorf only studied one individual and came to this conclusion; therefore these results cannot be generalised toother people
20
Q
Language affects recall of events: Carmichael Et Al
A
- Two groups of participants were shown the pictures but each group heard different descriptions. When they were asked to draw them, the pictures drawn reflected the labels they’d heard. This suggests that language influences our memory of what has happened
- One weakness of this study is that in everyday life, we aren’t always interpreting ambiguous information. This suggests that the Carmichael et. al. study may not generalise that well to everyday life
21
Q
Native Americans: The Zuni
A
- The Zuni people have only one word for shades of yellow and orange and had difficulty recognising and recalling these colours compared to English speakers. This suggests that their difficulty distinguishing between yellow and orange could be because of the lack of words for those 2 colours in their lang.
- One weakness is that the research was with another culture; there’s an issue with interpreting the participants response. This is a weakness because the language barrier could affect how well the Zuni people communicated their understanding of colour to the researcher
22
Q
Language affects recall of colour: Roberson Et Al
A
- Berinmo people of New Guinea had difficulty recalling and distinguishing between a variety of colours as they only have 5 words for different colours in their own language
- One weakness is that researchers have found the opposite; the Dani people have only 2 words for colour but were as good as English speaking participants on a colour matching test. This suggests that their lack of colour words didn’t influence their ability to think about colour
23
Q
What does meant by the term ‘eye contact’?
A
Eye contact is when 2 people look into each other’s eyes and the same time
24
Q
What does eye contact consist of?
A
- Conversation Flow
- Signalling Attraction
- Expressing Emotion
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# Eye Contact
Signalling Attraction
* Eye contact is used to communicate our attraction to someone. Our level of eye contact might increase when we are talking to someone we like
* Conway (2007) found that people who maintain eye contact are judged to be more attractive than people who do not. It is an evolutionary behaviour that shows a potential mate you are attracted to them.
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# Eye Contact
Expressing Emotion
* Eye contact can be used to show others how we are feeling
* Adams and Kleck (2005) found that participants judge joy and anger most intense when there was a direct gaze. Fear and sadness were most intense when there was an averted gaze. This suggests we use eye contact in different ways to express how intense our emotions are.
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# Eye Contact
Conversation Flow
* Eye contact makes conversations run smoothly as it gives the other person feedback about how interested you are in the conversation
* Kendon (1967) found that eye contact encourages ‘turn-taking’ in conversation. If it didn’t happen, there were awkward pauses on the conversation.
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What is body language
The way in which attitudes and feelings are communicated to others through unspoken movements and gestures.
29
# Body Language
Open and Closed Posture
* Posture is the way someone positions their body during a social interaction.
* An open posture is relaxed and shows approval or acceptance whereas a closed posture shows rejection or disagreement
* McGinley et al. (1975) found that using an open posture when discussing view points means others are more likely to agree with you.
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# Body Language
Postural Echo
* Postural echo is when you copy or ‘mirror’ someone’s body position whilst talking to them
* Tanner and Chartrand (2006) found that using postural echo means that others are likely to experience positive feelings towards you
31
# Body Language
Touch
* Touch can be used to express feeling or show dominance by shaking hands
* We use touch to flirt, express friendship etc
* Fisher et al (1976) found that touch can affect our attitudes towards other people
32
What are the three factors affected personal space?
* Cultural differences
* Gender differences
* Status differences
33
# Personal Space
Cultural Differences
* There're different cultural norms for personal space
* Sommer (1969) found that English people's personal space is 1-1.5 metres whereas Arabs is much less
34
# Personal Space
Gender Differences
* Men prefer a larger distance when interacting with other men while women prefer a shorter distance while interacting with other women
* Men prefer to sit opposite while women prefer to sit side by side
* Fischer and Byrne (1975) found that men feel stressed if personal space is invaded from the front whereas women feel stressed when a stranger invades their personal space from the side
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# Personal Space
Status Differences
* Status is someone's rank/position within a society
* Example teachers have a similar status whereas a student and a head teacher have a different status
* Zahn (1991) found that people who have an equal/similar status stand closer than people who've a different status
36
AO1 of Darwins Evolutionary Theory
* Some of Darwin’s key ideas are natural selection and survival of the fittest. He said that organismsvthat make the best changes in order to fit their situation and environment, are the ones most likely to survive and reproduce.
* Darwin states that humans and animals have similar behaviours. We might wrinkle our nose when we see/smell something disgusting. This allows us to avoid breathing in something potentially dangerous.
* Darwin wrote about the principle of serviceable associated habits. A serviceable behaviour has a purpose. An example would be when people expose their teeth when they have an angry facial expression. Originally, humans may have used biting as a form of self-defence. So just like many animals, they may have exposed their teeth as a way of saying ‘back off’.
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AO3 Darwins Evolutionary Theory
* One strength of Darwins Theory is it's supported by research of newborn babies. Babies don't need to learn facial expressions or eye contact when interacting. This is a strength because it suggests NVC is present at birth and therefore in our biology
* One weakness is that Darwins theory doesn't explain cultural differences. Some parts of NVC aren't universal, such as personal space rules. This is a weakness because it suggests that some parts of NVC aren't in our biology, otherwise it would be the same in every culture
38
Evidence that non verbal behaviour is innate
| present at birth
Neonates (newborn babies):
- Bowbly (1969) suggests that neonates are born with social releasers, these are NV behaviours such a smiling or giving eye contact; without these the baby could be ignored and can't look after itself
- Rosenstein and Oster (1988) gave a few weeks old babies a sour taste and found that they showed a disgusted reaction; wrinkling their nose, suggesting NVC is innate
Sensory Deprived:
- Children who're born blind have been found to show facial expressions such as suprise or NV behaviours such as sulking; suggests NVC is innate
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Evidence that non verbal behaviour is learned
| we develop it
Contact vs Non Contact
- Edward Hall (1966) states that countries such as Italy, Spain and Brazil are contact cultures, the UK and US are non contact cultures. Ppl from contact cultures prefer a small personal space, ppl from non contact cultures prefer a larger distance. This suggests NVC is developed through the environment we live in
Gestures
- Roxie Black (2011) states that pointing your finger is interpreted differently in different cultures. In western cultures it's acceptable whereas in Hindu cultures it's considered offensive.
40
What was the aim of Yuki's study of emoticons
His aim was to find out if there was a difference in how emoticons were understood by people in the East (Japan) and the West (America)
41
What was the method of Yuki's study of emoticons
* 95 students from Japan and 118 students from America were used (an independant group design)
* Six emoticons were shown with different combinations of eyes or mouth (sad, happy or neutral)
* They were asked to rate how happy they thought it was using a 9 point scale
42
What were the results of Yuki's study of emoticons
* Japanese gave higher ratings to faces with happy eyes than Americans, even when the mouth was sad
* Americans gave higher ratings to faces when mouths were happy even when the eyes were sad
43
What was the conclusion of Yuki's study of emoticons
This suggests that Japanese and Americans interpret facial expressions differently, this could be bc of **cultural norms** and **expectations **
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AO3 of Yuki's study of emoticons
* One weakness of this study is it only investigated 2 types of emotions - happy or sad. in everday life faces express a range of diff emotions; fear, suprise, disgust. This is a weakness because this study doesn't test how the full range of emotional expressiosn are interpreted by ppl of diff cultures
* Another weakness is that rating scales may not be the best method of measurement. Emotions are very complex, and rating scales reduce emotions to a single score. Therefore Yuki et al may have measured the interpretation of emotions in too simple a way
