PSYC 3290 Midterm: Psycholinguistics Midterm Review.docx

• School: York University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 3290
• Professor: Justin Friesen

Document Summary

Linguistic relativity asks the question does language influence cognition . Communication is a means of relaying information between at least two agents. Language is human speech , an artificial system of signs and symbols with rules for forming intelligible communication for use. Language is a body of words and the systems for their use common to a people who are of the same community or nation. Animal studies: symbolic and productive: an ape named washoe learned 150-200 words, strings of words, and sensitivity to word order. Kanzi a bonobo chimp learned lexigrams (symbols) and learned from observation. Many species of songbirds learn their songs through vocal learning, young birds must hear a nonspecific song during the sensory phase in order to perform it correctly; females also exhibit some sensitive song preferences. The younger you are, the better you are to acquire and learn a language.