PSYC 1010 Chapter 8: CHAPTER 8.docx

• School: York University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 1010
• Professor: Jill Bee Rich

Document Summary

Cognition refers to the mental processes involved in acquiring knowledge. Behaviorism became more pop b/c can actually observe. Language consists of symbols that convey meaning, plus rules for combining those symbols, that can be used to generate an infinite variety of messages. Use spoken sounds and written words to represent objects, actions, events, and ideas. Language symbols are flexible, many diff objects may be called by the same name. No built-in relationship exist b/w look or sound of words and objects they stand for. Have shared meanings for ppl who speak these languages. Limited number of symbols can combine in infinite ways to generate endless array of msges. But sentences must be structured in certain ways. Basic sounds units with meaning words phrases sentences. Phonemes: the smallest speech units in a language that can be distinguished perceptually. Languages use diff groups of about 20-30 phonemes.