PSYC-105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Functional Fixedness, Problem Solving, Language Acquisition Device

• School: MacEwan University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC-105
• Professor: Ibraham Sumrain

Document Summary

Basic components of human language: phonemes sounds of our language, morphemes semantics system of meanings expressed by words/phrases. Smallest units of meaningful speech: syntax system of grammatical rules by which words are arranged to make meaningful statements. Children need to learn ordering of words to mark grammatical functions such as subject. Can"t be yoda: extralinguistic pragmatics system of patterns that determine how humans can use language in particular social settings for particular conversational purposes. Elements of communication that aren"t part of the content of language but are critical to interpreting it"s meaning (eg. facial expressions, tone of voice) Children learn that conversations customarily begin with a greeting, require turn taking, concern a shared topic. They come to adjust the content of their communications to match their listeners" interests. Babbling intentional vocalizations that lack specific meaning, become gradually complex. No language is preferred by babies or is superior. Pronunciation errors common, usually related to production difficulty with complex sounds.