PSYC 250 Lecture 6: Symbolic development
23 Jun 2016
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Document Summary
Capacity that sets humans apart from other species. Symbols are systems for representing thoughts, feelings, and knowledge and communicating them to others. The means of expressing oneself through words and actions. Communication system (understood by all within a community) Language allows generativity - using a finite set of words to produce an infinite number of sentences and ideas. The generative power carries a cost for young language learners --> they have to deal with its complexity! Think: if you were in a foreign country and a stranger walked up to you and said . Video: they use gestures which might be the primitive form of language. Species-specific and species-universal - humans have it and all humans have it. Creative and flexible use of symbols - generativity. No evidence for use of "syntax" in non-human o. Syntax - rules of language that specify how words from different categories (nouns, verbs etc. ) can be combined.
