Week 8 + Chapter 10 Flashcards
(60 cards)
Broca’s Area
A region in the frontal lobe (usually in the left hemisphere) responsible for speech production and language expression.
Damage to Broca’s Area can cause Broca’s aphasia, where a person understands language but struggles to form complete sentences—speech becomes slow and broken.
Wernicke’s Area
A region in the temporal lobe (also usually in the left hemisphere) involved in language comprehension.
Damage to Wernicke’s Area can lead to Wernicke’s aphasia, where a person speaks in fluent but nonsensical sentences and has difficulty understanding language.
Non-fluent (Or Broca’s) Aphasia
A language disorder caused by damage to Broca’s area (left frontal lobe), leading to difficulty in speech production.
Speech is slow, labored, and effortful
Comprehension is mostly preserved
Writing may also be affected
Fluent (Or Wernicke’s) Aphasia
A language disorder caused by damage to Wernicke’s area (left temporal lobe), resulting in impaired language comprehension and fluent but meaningless speech.
- Speech is fluent and grammatically correct, but often nonsensical
- Poor comprehension of spoken and written language
- Often unaware of their communication difficulties
Bilingualism/multilingualism
Bilingual; Proficient in two languages
Multilingual; able to fluently speak more than two languages
The basic idea behind the hypothesis that multi-lingual children were/are at an advantage to their monolingual counterparts is that; bilingual speakers must engage in cognitive tasks such as switching between languages and inhibiting words from one language when speaking the other which causes improved executive function capabilities
linguistic determinism
The strong version of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which argues that language determines the way we think—if you don’t have words for an idea, you can’t think that idea.
Example:
If a language has no future tense, speakers of that language may not conceptualize the future in the same way as those who do.
Linguistic relativism
The weaker version of the hypothesis, which suggests that language influences thought and perception, but does not entirely determine them.
Example:
Speakers of languages with many words for snow (like the Inuit) may notice and distinguish different types of snow more easily than English speakers.
Cognition
Process of thinking, gaining knowledge, and dealing with knowledge
Analogical representation
A mental representation that physically resembles the object or concept it represents.
Example:
A mental image of a tree is an analogical representation—you “see” it in your mind like a picture.
Symbolic representation
A representation that doesn’t resemble the physical object, but stands in for it using arbitrary symbols (like language or numbers).
Example:
The word “tree” is a symbolic representation—it doesn’t look like a tree, but we’ve learned what it means.
Concept
mental category for classifying things based on common features or properties
Defining attributes (or classic categorization) models
A theory that concepts or categories are defined by a set of essential features (attributes) that an item must have to belong to that category.
Example:
To belong in the category “bird,” an animal must have features like feathers, beak, and the ability to lay eggs. If something lacks even one of these, it wouldn’t fit in the category
prototype model
A representation of a category formed by averaging all members of the category
For example, the prototypical dog has an average size, an average tail, average ears, average colouring, and so on.
exemplar model
a specific member of the category used to represent the category
This could be the dog that you raised during your childhood or a dog featured in your favorite movie.
Concepts and the Brain
When asked to name animals, the participants showed activation in the visual cortex, suggesting that they would need to think about what a zebra looks like to name it correctly. Naming tools, in contrast, was accompanied by activation in frontal and parietal lobe areas associated with movement, implying that it is helpful to think about what to do with a screwdriver when attempting to name it correctly.
Taxonomic Categorization
Grouping things based on shared features or categories, like type or function.
Example:
Grouping a dog, cat, and rabbit together because they’re all animals.
Thematic categorization strategies
Grouping things based on relationships or context in a scenario.
Example:
Grouping a dog, leash, and bone together because they’re all related to walking a dog.
analytic thinking styles
Focuses on individual objects, their attributes, and formal logic—more common in Western cultures.
Example:
Looking at a fish tank and focusing on the largest fish and its color.
Holistic Thinking
Focuses on the context, relationships, and overall patterns—more common in East Asian cultures.
Example:
Looking at the entire fish tank and noticing how the fish interact with the water, plants, and each other.
deductive reasoning
Starts with general rules or principles and applies them to reach a specific conclusion. If the premises are true, the conclusion must be true.
Example:
All mammals breathe air.
A dolphin is a mammal.
Therefore, a dolphin breathes air
Inductive reasoning
Starts with specific observations and uses them to form general conclusions or theories. The conclusion is likely, but not guaranteed.
Example:
The sun has risen every day in my life.
Therefore, the sun will rise tomorrow.
Decision Making
The cognitive process of selecting a course of action from multiple options or alternatives based on preferences, values, or judgments.
Example:
Choosing whether to study for an exam or go out with friends involves weighing pros and cons, possible outcomes, and personal priorities.
satisficers versus maximizers
Maximizers; people who strive to reach the best outcome.
Satisficers; people who are more willing to choose outcomes that are merely acceptable
Algorithm
Step-by-step rules for solving a problem.
