Slide 1: Cognitive Revolution

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Slide 1 Cognitive Revolution

• Talking about Language-- not behavior (1950)
• Birth of Cognitive Psychology
• 1. First computer program to simulate human
  thought (simon/newell)
• 2. Short term memory capacity research (Miller
  7or- 2)
• 3. Model of Language Acquisition (Chomsky)

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Slide 2 Talking About Language

• Language
• symbols that convey meaning plus rules for
  combining those symbols that can generate an
  infinite variety of messages.
• Characteristics
• Symbolic- represent objects/experiences not
  always present
• Semantic- means something (sometimes multiple
  meanings/levels)
• CORTS examples.
• Generative- can generate endless combinations
  (Important!)
• Structured- have rules that govern usage

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Slide 3 Structure of Language-Chomsky

• Human able to make approximately 100 distinct
  sounds.
• Any one language between 20-80 sounds.
• Chomskys Structure-
• PHONEMES- the basic structure of language basic
  sounds 40-45 phonemes in the English language.
• Examples
• MORPHEME- smallest unit of meaning in language
  (prefix, suffix, root words 50,000 in English).
• Examples
• SYNTAX- a system of rules that specifies how
  words can be arranged (article, subject, verb,
  predicate)

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Slide 4 Acquisition of Language

• The Old Argument Surfaces Nature vs. Nurture.
  How do kids learn language so fast? A
  complicated process!
• Behaviorist Theory- Skinner-
• language development simply a matter
  reinforcement and shaping
• parents/others instruct on proper use of words
  syntax
• Nativist Theory- Chomsky
• Infinite number of sentences therefore
  imitation/shaping for all unlikely.
• Children learn rules, not specific verbal
  responses. Children make grammatical errors on
  words adults dont say, thus cant imitate words
  never heard before (goed, hitted).
• Parents respond to factual, not grammatical
  accuracy (Him hitted me).

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Slide 5 Nativist Theory Continued

• We must be born with a language acquisition
  device
• LAD- innate human mechanism facilitating process
  of learning language.
• Nativist Argument--
• 1. How could such a complex skill be learned in
  such a short time without it?
• 2. Language development occurs at roughly the
  same trate for all children regardless of
  environmental background.
• 3. Early course of language development is same
  regardless of culture.
• Film clips 26 Lang. Predisposition 29
  Lang. Culture (The Mind)

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Slide 6 Interactionist Theory

• Nature Nurture Important--
• Criticisms of the Nativist approach-
• LAD a poor explanatory tool (not identifiable,
  testable)
• rapidity of childhood learning not as exceptional
  as nativists think.
• Babies learning language (full time job) active
  adults (10-15 hrs/week max).
• Failure to recognize language development as a
  single part of larger cognitive/thinking
  development.

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Slide 7 Culture, Language, Thought

• The Whorf Hypothesis (linguistic relativity)
  ones language shapes ones perception of
  reality
• if true, WORDS ARE VERY POWERFUL!
• If words shape reality, then words used to convey
  messages are very important
• Legalese, Euphemisms, Labeling miss, ms
• Pro-Choice vs. Anti-Choice / Pro-Life vs.
  Pro-Abortion
• Classic Example Perception of Snowy Environment
• Eskimo vs. English perception of snow quite
  different
• Current state of WHORF. Language influential but
  not shape thinking/perception as much as
  originally thought. class example.

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Slide 8 Problem Solving

• Problem Solving active efforts to discover what
  must be done to achieve a goal that is not
  readily attainable.
• PROBLEM-
• 15 of the people in Topeka have unlisted
  telephone numbers. You select 200 names at
  random from the Topeka phone book. How many of
  these people can be expected to have unlisted
  phone numbers? p.219
• a) 3.15 hours b) 3 hours and 15 minutes
• equal? agtb? blta?
• Why do we miss problems like this?

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Slide 9 Typical Problems

• Inducing Structure must recognize relationship
  among structures Whistle Referee as Gavel
  ___?___
• Real Life Parking in faculty places and tickets,
  relationship with time.
• Problems of Arrangement multiple parts to
  solution of problem which must be arranged in
  proper order.
• Often solved by burst of Insight (Eureka)-
  the sudden often unexpected discovery of the
  correct solution to a problem following incorrect
  attempts based primarily on trial and error.
• Problems of Transformation the goal is known,
  the way to the goal is not known. Often must work
  away on sub goals to get to solution. class
  e.g., Water Jar, p.221 Fig. 8.5

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Slide 10 Barriers to Problem Solving

• Irrelevant Information- distracters, numbers
  technical (important) sounding information
  (Multiple choice tests) FF
• Functional Fixedness- the tendency to perceive an
  item in terms of its most common use. 9dot
• Unnecessary Constraints- assume constraints not
  really there. Group Task 4 B to PS
• Mental Set - persist in problem solving
  strategies useful in the past, not necessary
  effective in present.

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Slide 11 How We Solve Problems

• 1. Trial and Error
• HEURISTIC APPROACHES-
• Heuristics- rules of thumb used in solving
  problems/making decisions which simplify the
  process
• 2. Forming Sub-Goals
• 3. Working Backward
• 4. Searching for Analogies
• 5. Changing the representation of the problem

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Slide 12 Making Decisions

• Decision Making evaluating alternatives and
  making choices among them.
• e.g., Choosing college, class schedule, major,
  roommate
• Theory of Bounded Rationality (Simon)
• people try to make rational choices, often
  limited cognitive abilities, frequent poor
  choices.
• Strategies of Emphasize Simplicity e.g.,
  class scenarios
• Additive Strategies
• Weighted Additive
• Elimination by Aspects
• When decision involve a few options often use
  additive approaches, when complex use elimination
  by aspects

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Slide 13 Risky Decisions

• Risky Decisions- unsure as to the
  effects/outcome of our choices, therefore we must
  try to estimate chances of success and failure.
• Assessing the Expected Value- what are the
  expectation of the event occuring (rolling a die,
  winning the lotto etc) eg
• Violating Expected Value
• Subjective Utility- a value with little to do
  with logic (dreaming)
• Subjective Probability- (logical errors in
  probability judgement)
• availability heuristic- estimated probability of
  occurences based on the number of instances that
  come to mind.
• representative heuristic- probability of
  occurrence based on simialr mental prototypes
  of how outcomes should look.

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Slide 14 Pitfalls in Daily Decisions

• The Gamblers Fallacy- the belief that a chance
  event will occur just because it hasnt happen
  recently.
• Ignoring Base Rates/Laws of Probability
• often Repr. Heuristic part of this. It could
  never happen to me!
• Law of Small Numbers
• Overestimating the Improbable-
• often strongly influenced by the availability
  heuristic (media e.g.)
• Confirmation Bias- e.g., Med students, clinical
  psych students
• will often find what you are looking for
• The Overconfidence Effect-
• too much faith in our own estimates of
  correctness