General Psychology

Scripture

• James 1:23-25

Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.

Uses of Language We can hear about and understand

phenomena we have never experienced. We can connect to people far away. We can make plans and have others

carry them out. We can know what another person is

thinking more directly than just by observing their behavior.

We can store information.

What is language made of?Phonemes are the smallest units of sound (vowels and consonants).Morphemes are the units of meaning, i.e. words and meaningful parts of words such as suffixes, prefixes).Grammar refers to the rules for using words, including semantics, definitions, connotations, and syntax (how the order of words makes meaning).

Language Development is an Amazing Process We acquire the use of 10 new words per day

(on average) between ages 2 and 18. Children learn the basic grammar of

language before they can add 2 + 2. Most kids can recall words and meanings,

and assemble words into sentences, while simultaneously following social rules for speaking and listening.

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How do we learn language?Language Development

Age (months) Talent/Behavior/Stage0-4 months

In fantis (“not speaking”)

Receptive language: associating sounds with facial movements, and recognizing when sounds are broken into words

4 months Productive language: babbling in multilingual sounds and gestures

10 months Babbling sounds more like the parents’/household’s language

12 months One-word stage: understanding and beginning to say many nouns

18-24 months Two-word, “telegraphic”/tweet speech: adding verbs, and making sentences but missing words (“See bird! Ree book? Go park!”)

24+ months,2+ years

Speaking full sentences and understanding complex sentences

How do we learn language?Language Talents and Stages

Explaining Language Acquisition:Nature and NurtureThe Role of Genes We seem to have an inborn (genetic) talent for

acquiring language, though no particular kind of language is in the genes.

The Role of Experience We also seem to have a “statistical” pattern

recognition talent. Infants quickly recognize patterns in syllable frequency and sequence, preparing them to later learn words and syntax.

MID

CAN

TION

NAV

PER

ABA

GACT

Critical Periods

According to one study with immigrants, beginning a language later made it harder to learn the pronunciation and the grammar of the second language.

It is important to begin appropriate language exposure/education early so that language centers of the brain continue to develop.

Language might never develop if not begun by age seven.

Sign language has the syntax, grammar, and complex meaning of any spoken language.

Deaf and Blind Children

Deaf and blind children can use complex adapted languages by using other senses that are heightened.

“Blindness cuts people off from things; deafness cuts people off from people.”—Helen Keller

What happens if a deaf infant’s parents don’t use sign language? Hint: critical period

Brain Damage and LanguageExamples of aphasia: having the ability to speak but not read, to produce words in song but not in conversation, and to speak but not repeat; or producing words in jumbled order

Aphasia: an impairment in the ability to produce or understand language, usually caused by damage to the brain

Broca’s area, in the left temporal lobe

Wernicke’s area, left temporal lobe

Damage to Broca’s area leads to difficulty in putting words together in sentences or even speaking single words, although a person can sing a song.

Damage to Wernicke’s area leads to difficulty comprehending speech and producing coherent speech (not easily monitoring one’s own speech to make sure it makes sense).

Language and the Brain How to read a word, steps 1 to 5

Remember: language

functions are divided in the

brain.

Thinking and Language, Language and Thinking

How does language shape

the way we think?

How does our style of thinking shape our use of language?

Can we think without

language by using images?

For example, Benjamin Whorf (1897-1941) proposed that because the Hopi do not have past tense forms for verbs, it is hard for them to think about the past.

Can you think about something that you do not have a name for? If so, does that disprove linguistic determinism?

Linguistic determinism: the idea that our specific language

determines how we think

Language Influencing Thought

Language’s Influence on ThoughtDoes language shape emotions or reflect them?

Speaking in Japanese provides many extra words for interpersonal emotions such as sympathy and empathy, which Americans might have trouble differentiating. Speaking English gives us many words for self-focused emotions, such as sadness.

Do language differences shape personality differences?Bilingual people appear to have different personality profiles when describing themselves in different languages. “Learn a new language and get a new soul.”--Czech proverb.

Color PerceptionWe use our native language to classify and to remember colors. Different languages may vary in where they put the separation between “blue” and “green,” or they may not have separate words for these colors. Which squares are green? teal? blue?

Language Influences Thought Even if “he” and

“mankind” are meant at times to be gender-inclusive, people do create a male image in their mind when they hear these terms.

Instead of replacing “he” with “he/she” or “their”, we can rewrite sentences without pronouns and possessives; for example, “his” can become “the.”

Gender neutral vs.

male-based usage

Languages Improve ThinkingThe Bilingual Advantage

People who are bilingual have numerous brain connections and neural networks.

They also have a hidden talent, the ability to suppress one language while learning another.

This ability tends to go along with other forms of executive control, such as resisting distraction and inhibiting impulses.

Thinking in Images Without

Words Is there conscious

thinking that goes on without being formed as words?

Some everyday decisions, such as which turn to take while driving, are certainly made based on images or other nonverbal content such as mental maps.

Using Imagery to Improve Learning

Image rehearsal can help us improve behavior, even skilled performance such as playing piano or playing sports.If you imagine getting an A (outcome simulation), it may shift your mood up or down but will not improve your grade. Imagining the detailed actions of studying (process simulation), though, does improve grades.

Think about the road, not the destination.

Conclusions

Thinking affects our language, which then affects our thought.1.Thinking in a culture affects the formation of a language, especially its vocabulary.2.Thinking and language develop together in an individual as they grow.3.Learning a language and using a language as an adult can affect one’s style and content of thinking.

Mental Models

• Imagine the letter D. Rotate it 90 degrees to the right. Put the number 4 above it. Now remove the horizontal segment of the 4 to the right of the vertical line.

• Imagine the letter B. Rotate it 90 degrees to the left. Put a triangle directly below it having the same width and pointing down. Remove the horizontal line.

• Imagine the letter K. Place a square next to it on the left side. Put a circle inside the square. Now rotate the figure 90 degrees to the left.

Mental Models

• sailboat

• Valentine

• television

Doublespeak 1. revenue enhancement = tax increase2. inoperative statements =3. social expression products =4. poorly buffered precipitation =5. media courier =6. oral hygiene appliance =7. negative patient care outcome =8. vertical transportation corps =9. period of accelerated negative growth =10. radiation enhancement device =11. automotive internist =12. pre-emptive counterattacks =13. pupil station =14. underground condominium =15. digital fever computer =

Doublespeak 1. revenue enhancement = tax increase2. inoperative statements = Lies3. social expression products = greeting cards4. poorly buffered precipitation = acid rain5. media courier =newspaper carrier6. oral hygiene appliance = Toothbrush7. negative patient care outcome =Death8. vertical transportation corps = elevator operators9. period of accelerated negative growth =Recession10. radiation enhancement device =neutron bomb11. automotive internist =car mechanic12. pre-emptive counterattacks = first-strike, or invasion; 13. pupil station =school desk14. underground condominium =cemetery plot15. digital fever computer =thermometer.

Doublespeak • Euphemism, an inoffensive or positive word or phrase used to avoid

a harsh, unpleasant, or distasteful reality. • Jargon is a second kind of doublespeak. It is the specialized language

of a trade or a profession, such as medicine, law, engineering, education, or auto mechanics.

• Gobbledygook or bureaucratese is a third form of doublespeak. This is simply a matter of piling on words, or overwhelming the audience with long sentences. – As a vice-presidential candidate, Dan Quayle explained the need for a

“strategic defense initiative” by saying, “why wouldn’t an enhanced deterrent, a more stable peace, provide a better prospect to denying the ones who enter conflict in the first place to have a reduction of offensive systems and an introduction to defensive capability? I believe this is the route the country will eventually go.”

• The fourth kind of doublespeak is inflated language that attempts to make the ordinary seem extraordinary, to make everyday things seem impressive, to make the simple complex.