AP Psychology Language

1. Language
A means of communication.

3. Broca's Area Wernicke's Area
Functions:
•Speech Production
•Facial Neuron Control
•Language Processing
‍Location:
Directionally, Broca's area is located in the
lower portion of the left frontal lobe.
Functions:
•Language Comprehension
•Semantic Processing
•Language Recognition
•Language Interpretation
‍Location:
Wernicke's area is located in the left
temporal lobe, posterior to the primary
auditory complex.

4. Language
A means of communication.

5. Language can be…..
auditory, visual, or tactile

6. All languages contain….
Phonemes
• The smallest units of
sound in a language.
• English has about 44
phonemes.
Morphemes
• The smallest unit of
meaningful sound.
• Can be words like a or
but.
• Can also be parts of
words like prefixes or
suffixes…”ed” at the
end of a word means
past tense.
How many
phonemes
does platypus
have?

7. Grammar
• The rules of a
language.
• Syntax: the order
of words in a
language.

8. Language Acquisition
Stages that we learn
language…
1. Babbling Stage
2. Holophrastic Stage (one
word stage)
3. Telegraphic Speech
Stage
• After the telegraphic
stage we get
overgeneralization.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxtLhgzntg8

9. How do we learn language?

12. Social Learning Theory
• B.F. Skinner from the
Behaviorist School
• Baby may imitate a
parent.
 If they are reinforced
they keep saying the
word.
 If they are punished,
they stop saying the
word.

13. Chomsky’s Theory
(Nativist Theory)
• We learn language
too quickly for it to
be through
reinforcement and
punishment.
• Inborn universal
language acquisition
device
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=3gU-B0-
DCKI&index=20&list=PLfoJWSBAwZA
xpXAHjV6blIEBJWNSuvZv5

14. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSFPgDuyv6E

15. Whorf’s Linguistic Relativity
• The idea that
language determines
the way we think.
• The Hopi tribe has
no past tense in
their language.
• Whorf says they
rarely think of the
past.

16. Do animals use language?