Preview

Language and Cognitive Psychology

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1127 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Language and Cognitive Psychology
Language is a cognitive function that most of us take for granted. It starts from early on, some say at conception, and it develops in complexity as we get older. It is an essential part of communication and without it its development would be greatly hindered. This natural process requires complex structures and reasoning, the bringing together of sounds and words to develop concrete ideas and thoughts. In this paper we will discuss the components of language and how it relates to cognitive processes.
Language and Lexicon Our basic mean of communication among species and interspecies is thru language. Language enables us to communicate with each other, our thoughts and feelings, ideas and concepts, likes, and dislikes, fears, dreams and affirmations. Given our need to communicate, language comes in many forms based on species and its requirements. Babies talk the baby talk and babble; there are no words yet, but they are starting to communicate. However, language is not always verbal; people who are unable to verbally communicate rely on sign language or other means. Thus it can be said that in order to communicate with each other, as well as other species, we are able to do so thru the use of words, sounds, body movement and many other patterns if necessary. At every stage of our lives, we learn new forms of communication; we understand the meaning of words and the meanings and contexts in which they are used.
Different cultures have different languages, sub-dialects, syntax and lexicon as well as all the vocabulary and grammatical components of each language. A lexicon refers to a part of the memory that acts as a dictionary. Thus, we can say that the lexicon organizes what is heard. The lexicon stores components related to words such as; pronunciation, spelling, and a part of speech (Willingham, 2007). The lexicon has a close relationship with language and its functions, and even though it does not identify word definition it does contain a pointer

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Contribution TMA06

    • 1151 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Language is used by a variety of different species to communicate. For example, Karl Von-Frisch (1950) after having studied bees, found that bees once they had returned to their hives performed certain dances to communicate other bees where and how far the food was. Moreover, Seyfarth et al. (1980), after having studied velvet monkeys, found that they communicated to their members the type of predators by giving different alarms calls. So for example if it were an eagle to look out for, the monkey's call would cause its members to look up in the sky, where as if it were a leopard, its members would immediately climb in the trees (Cooper T and Kaye H, 2007). Therefore it can be said that animals, just as humans do, use language to…

    • 1151 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    1.1 People communicate by many ways including non-verbal highlighting facial expression, eye contact, body language, physical gestures such as touch, dress and behavior, along with verbal including tone and pitch of voice. The age and knowledge of a person one is communicating with, also dictates somewhat the amount of vocabulary i.e words and terms used too . People communicate to share ideas, information, educate, build relationships, express feelings and emotions, to be social, ask questions and expand their knowledge and share different experiences.…

    • 1741 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    People communicate with each other on a regular basis. This is a key skill acquired from birth, a skill dominant in humanity since the beginning of time. It is a vital survival skill acquired learned enhanced and practiced to make perfect. The most basic of which is speech and body language.…

    • 1494 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Hook: “We had seen God in His splendors, heard the text that Nature renders. We had reached the naked soul of man”.Ernest shackleton was famous for going to the south pole 3 times. Ernest shackleton died in the south pole because he froze to death from the cold and his wife and his kids never get to see him.…

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    From the very moment we are born we, as human beings have the ‘need’ to communicate. From that very first second of life we have the need to form some connection or relationship with another human in order to survive. Our initial cry to communicate is for warmth, food, shelter and love and these are the basic principles for communication throughout our life. Communication can be verbal such as speech and non-verbal such as writing and sign language.…

    • 3627 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    All together the acts of verbal, nonverbal, and written communication composes of our everyday human communications. All species of living organisms have a way of communication even if it’s through biochemical means. In the future the advancement of technology might even allow for more different and unique ways to communicate with one…

    • 363 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Language is defined as the system of linguistic signs or symbols considered in the abstract. Language is purely a human concept. Though it is used by many animals on the planet, no other animal uses language to the extent or complexity as humans do. This is in part to the larger brain size of humans as opposed to animals. Our closest animal relative, the chimpanzee, has a brain size of around 400cc, while humans have a brain that weighs around 1300cc. This larger brain, as allowed humans to use language more efficiently to achieve its goals. With the development of language rose the characteristics that make us human: self-awareness, higher emotion, and personal memory.…

    • 1454 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Psy 360

    • 1251 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Language is very complex and the manner at which humans learn language is even more complex. Language is more than just words and with words there are also definitions this paper will explain what language and lexicon is. Language is connected to cognitive functions in so many ways that this is better explained throughout the paper. There are key features in language that is developed during childhood and continues to grow as children get bigger. Language has a structure and processing through four levels. These levels better help humans understand language and communicate to one another. The connections in language processing and cognitive psychology are better understood later on in this paper. First to start off with a better understanding of what language and lexicon is.…

    • 1251 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Language is very important and diverse. Communication is necessary for every living thing, yet we all communicate in very different ways. The human language is by far the most complex form of communication. We are the only living thing able to speak words and understand a wide range of vocabulary. The human language has a large advantage over that of parrots and primates because of our wide vocal range and complex written language.…

    • 438 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Communication refers to how we interact with others. Language is used to represent concepts and thoughts. Many children and young people communicate successfully using non-verbal means such as signing, gestures or electronic equipment.…

    • 1752 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Language and Lexicon

    • 909 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What is language? What is lexicon? Language can be fundamental defined by most of the general public today, but lexicon may not easily be explained. In ones general opinion, language is a form of communicating ideas, emotions, and opinions. It varies according to the culture and generation of the individuals using it. This paper provides a definition of language and lexicon, the features of language, the levels of language, and the role of language in cognitive psychology. (Willingham, 2007)What is language? Language is communication of thoughts and feelings through a system of arbitrary signals such as voice sounds, gestures, or written symbols. Language is one of the most difficult to define because there is not really one word that can actually describe language. Language is known to be the structure of communication using words either spoken or symbolized with a writing system, typically structured with grammar. Within language there are properties that are considered to be crucial. (Willingham, 2007)What are the key elements of language? The key elements of language are communicative, arbitrary, structured, generative, and dynamic. According to Willingham,Skinner argued that the principles of operant and classical conditioning could account for how children learn language. Chomsky argued that they could not because language is generative; behaviorist principles can account for whether someone is more likely to repeat an action taken previously, but a distinctive property of language is that we almost never say the same thing twice. In essence, Chomsky was saying that Skinners theory was bound to miss the mark because Skinner failed to appreciate what language is.…

    • 909 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    What Makes Humans Unique

    • 724 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In language, humans imaginatively join words together in a never-ending variety of sentences—each with a different meaning—according to a set of mental rules, or grammar. Language presents the ability to communicate complex concepts. It also allows people to exchange information about both past, present and future events, and about objects that are not really there (present). Many social scientists believe that “…language is what finally separates…

    • 724 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    People communicate with one another for various reasons. To clarify and seek information, form relationships with one another and/or to gain an understanding of something. Each person is different and you will find that depending on the person’s ability to communicate depends on how they communicate. People also communicate in various ways such as verbal, non-verbal (sign language, body language, facial expressions) electronically or written.…

    • 4324 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Final Exam in English 4

    • 2306 Words
    • 10 Pages

    I. A. Underline the verbs in each sentence. Write on the blanks whether it is…

    • 2306 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Human communication is based on words, numbers and other symbols and the use of language.…

    • 2398 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays