LANGUAGE THINKING AND INTELLIGENCE
LANGUAGE THINKING AND INTELLIGENCE
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LANGUAGE - Rule governed system of symbols used to represent and communicate
information.
1. Understanding language a. phonology - knowledge of sounds b. semantics - knowledge or word meanings c. syntax - knowledge of grammatical structure i. deep structure - meaning ii. surface structure - organization of words d. psycholinguistics - the study of the ability to produce and understand language 2. Acquiring language a. rules and strategies are innate i. basic timing and sequence of language development is similar across cultures ii. children learn the rules of their native language, i.e., overgeneralization b. particular language acquired is based on experience 3. Language and thought - language has an impact on how easily we process information • THINKING 1. Using concepts - applying past experience to present thoughts a. Concept - a mental grouping of a set of objects or events on the basis of important common features b. Must be learned through definition or example c. Concepts aid in predicting and interpreting events and organizing experiences 2. Problem solving - set of information used to achieve goal a. Strategies i. define the problem ii. use algorithms (systematic methods guaranteed to produce a solution) or iii. use heuristics (a rule that may or may not produce a solution), i.e., simplification, reasoning by analogy b. Insight - sudden understanding of solution • INTELLIGENCE - capacity to acquire and use knowledge 1. Measuring intelligence a. Binet - IQ test - mental age (as determined by a test) divided by chronological age = IQ b. Wechsler - test include verbal, mathematical and nonverbal thinking skills c. Average score is 100; scores describe a bell-shaped (normal) distribution 2. Uses of IQ tests a. as a predictor of school success b. concerns about being "culture fair" 3. Nature of intelligence - one ability or many? 4. Influence of the environment a. heritability b. experience determines point within genetics range 5. Extremes of intelligence a. Mental retardation - IQ below 70 i. biologically based - Downs syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome ii. psychosocial - disease, malnutrition, lack of intellectual stimulation b. Intellectually gifted - skills on one or more intellectual domains. |
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