PSYC 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Critical Period Hypothesis, Border Collie, Auditory Cortex
Document Summary
Language involves both the ability to comprehend spoken and written words and to produce meaningful communication when we speak or write. Categorical perception is a way of perceiving a different sensory inputs and mapping them to the same category. Contextual information the situation in which language is being used, the topic, the things that were said previously, body language, and so on- to help us interpret a word or sentence. Examples in which syntax is correct but the interpretation can be ambiguous: Grandmother of eight makes hole in one. Context: the information surrounding language, e. g. , knowledge, gestures, tone of voice, etc. Syntax: the rules for constructing sentences, e. g. , noun phrase + verb phrase (the cat + stalked the mouse) Morphemes: the smallest units of meaning in a language, e. g. , stalk + ed. Phonemes: the smallest units of sound that make a meaningful difference in a language, e. g. , /s/, /t/, etc. Critical period: a time in which learning can occur easily.
