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).
How do we learn language?
Language Development
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.
abbreviate
absorbent
accept
access
accessible
accessory
acoustics
accumulate
adjust
aerial
affects
alien
allotment
allotted
already
altercation
amass
amendment
amorous
ancestor
anecdote
angular
anonymous
antidote
antique
How do we learn language?
Language Talents and Stages
Age (months)
Talent/Behavior/Stage
0-4 months Receptive language: associating sounds with facial
In fantis
movements, and recognizing when sounds are broken
(“not speaking”) 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
“telegraphic”/tweet speech: adding verbs,
18-24 months Two-word,
and making sentences but missing words (“See bird!
Ree book? Go park!”)
24+ months,
2+ years
Speaking full sentences and understanding complex
sentences
Explaining Language Acquisition:
Nature and Nurture
The 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.
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.
Deaf and
Blind Children
Deaf and blind children can use
complex adapted languages by
using other senses that are
heightened.
Sign language has the syntax,
grammar, and complex
meaning of any spoken
language.
“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 Language
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
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.
Examples 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
Wernicke’s area, left
temporal lobe
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 our
style of thinking
shape our use
of language?
How does
language shape
the way we
think?
Can we think
without
language by
using images?
Language Influencing Thought
Linguistic
determinism:
the idea that
our specific
language
determines
how we think
 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?
Language’s Influence on Thought
Does 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 Perception
We 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
Gender
neutral vs.
male-based
usage
 Even if “he” and
“mankind” are meant at
times to be genderinclusive, 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.”
Languages Improve Thinking
The 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 increase
2. 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 increase
2. inoperative statements = Lies
3. social expression products = greeting cards
4. poorly buffered precipitation = acid rain
5. media courier =newspaper carrier
6. oral hygiene appliance = Toothbrush
7. negative patient care outcome =Death
8. vertical transportation corps =
elevator operators
9. period of accelerated negative growth =Recession
10. radiation enhancement device =neutron bomb
11. automotive internist =car mechanic
12. pre-emptive counterattacks = first-strike, or invasion;
13. pupil station =school desk
14. underground condominium =cemetery plot
15. 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.