Unit 6 – Language and Cognition

Essential Questions:

  • How do humans think?
  • In what ways is thinking flaw or constrained? How can people avoid falling for these errors in thinking
  • How do humans acquire language?
  • How do humans use language to communicate ideas?
  • How is language flawed or constrained?  How can people avoid falling for these errors in language use?
  • Are humans the only animals to use language?

Objectives:

  • Define cognition
  • Define concept, heuristics, algorithms, prototypes, trial and error, and insight and explain how they are used in problem solving.
  • Analyze how fixation, confirmation bias, overconfidence, framing, and belief perseverance influence the ability to solve problems.
  • Describe the structure of language.
  • Identify language development stages.
  • Explain how the nature vs nurture debate relates to language acquisition and development.
  • Discuss Whorf’s linguistic relativity hypothesis.
  • Discuss other theories of language development – Chomsky, Skinner
  • Analyze the studies on animal communication.

Activities, Readings and Viewings:

  • Read – Myers chapter 10
  • Video – Nova: Secrets of the Wild Child
  • Functional fixedness activity

Evaluation:

  • Quizzes
  • Exam 6

 

Daily Class Notes

Link to download smartboard software

Cognition (SB file)

 

 

 

Internet Resources: