Language and cognitive development
Cognitive development is an important aspect of overall child development. Generally cognition refers to how we think, pay attention, remember, and learn. We use language to learn new ideas, to talk about our thoughts and fears, and interact with those around us.
CHAPTER 8
Saturday, 6 November, 2021 09:45
COGNITION & LANGUAGE
8.1 TURNING THOUGHT INTO WORDS 8.3 DECISION MAKING
WHAT IS LANGUAGE? Decision making it involves evaluation alternatives and making choices among them
Language A system of communication using sounds or symbols
Enables us to express feelings, thoughts, ideas and experiences
BASIC STRATEGIES FOR MAKING CHOICES
HOW CAN LANGUAGE BE? 1. Additive strategy - this involves making choices by rating the attributes of each option and
Language can 1. Symbolic - using spoken sounds and written words as representation selection the one with most desirable attributes/best choice
be 2. Semantic - meaningful 2. Elimination strategy - involves making choices by gradually eliminating unattractive
3. Generative - where smaller units make up bigger units alternatives
4. Structured - where there are rules that govern arrangement of words into phrases &
sentences FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE DECISION MAKING
1. Emotion
2. People will avoid making choices if they can
MILESTONES IN LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Infant vocalizations are • 6months babies cry and make babbling sounds RISKY DECISION MAKING
universally similar across • 12months first words are spoken Risky decision making - this involves making choices under conditions of uncertainty
cultures • 18-24 months vocabulary spurt
HEURISTICS IN JUDGING PROBABILITY
Heuristics mental shortcuts people use when dealing with probabilities
○ Availability heuristic -Basing the estimated probability of an event on
how easily relevant instances come to mind
○ Representativeness heuristic - basing the estimated probability of an
event on how similar it is to the typical prototype of that event
THE TENDENCY TO IGNORE BASE RATES
CHARACTERSISTICS • Overextensions - when children incorrectly uses a word to describes a
wider set of objects or action than it is meant to This is typically influences by the representative heuristics, it is a situation whereby in estimating
probabilities people ignore information relating to base rates. This is that people don’t consider
• Under extensions - when children incorrectly uses a word to describe a
the initial probability of an event happening.
narrower set of objects
• 2nd year children combine combining words to produce meaningful Conjunction When people estimate that the odds of two uncertain events happening together are
sentences fallacy greater than the odds of either event happening alone.
• 3rd year children can express complex ideas but are still at risk of:
Example Gamblers fallacy is the belief that the odds of a change event increases even if the
• Overregularization - generalizing grammatical rules incorrectly to event hasn’t occurred recently (gambler POV- if keep playing/betting my chances
irregular cases where they do not apply will increase)m
REFINING LANGUAGE SKILLS Overestimating the improbably is related to availability heuristic , most regular people think that
Children make their largest strides in language development at 5 years, this is typically when children start dramatic vivid acts are more likely to occur than common place once. I.e.. As a result people tend
going to school. It is at this age children develop: to overestimate the likelihood of rare events.
• Metalinguistic awareness - this is the ability to reflect on the use of language
- Can consider both literal and implied meaning
• Behaviourist theory - B. Skinner believed children acquire language through conditioning and imitation
• Nativist theory - Chomsky believed human beings including babies possess the capacity to learn rules of
language
• Interactionist - belief that both biology and experiences both make important contributions
LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND THOUGHT
Linguist relativity - Whorf hypothesised that language determines the nature of thought and thus influences
how you view the world
Bilingualism - -the acquisition of two different languages
Disadv. • It affects raw language processing speed & verbal fluency because you mind will process
both languages created lag and slows down
Adv. • Bilinguals score high than monolinguals
8.2 PROBLEM SOLVING
PROBLEMS WITH LANGUAGE
1. Problem of inducing structure - this where people are required to discover relationship between objects
2. Problem of arrangement - where people arrangement the parts of a problem in a way that satisfies some
criterion
3. Problems of transformation - involves carrying out a sequence of transformation in order to reach a specific
goal
Language is complex can there problems, there are barriers that prevent problem solving:
BARRIERS TO PROBLEM SOLVING
1. Mental set - when we persist in using problem-solving strategies that have worked in the past
2. Unnecessary constraints - effective problem requires specific constraints governing that problem, without
those the constraints don’t exist
How to approach problem solving:
• Algorithm - this is methodical procedure that looks for all solution it guarantees a solution
• Heuristics - guiding principles (rules of thumb) used in solving problems, they don’t guarantee
solutions but work faster
PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGIES
Working backward - works well for when a problem has a specific end point
Search for analogies - involves using a solution to prev. problem to solves a current one.
SLK 120 Page 1
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