Deck 8: C: Thought and Language

Question 1

Is heuristic thinking good,bad,or somewhere in between? What advantages-if any-are associated with heuristic thinking? Are there disadvantages to using heuristics,and if so,what are they? Use the availability heuristic to provide examples to support your claims.

Answer 1

A good answer will include the following key points.Examples will vary.
- Heuristic thinking is generally beneficial,but it can also lead to errors.
- One reason heuristics are beneficial is that they are an efficient way to make decisions.
- However,heuristics can lead to certain biases and mistakes.
- For example,the availability heuristic entails estimating the frequency of an event based on how easily examples of it come to mind.
- If you were asked whether there are more male or female members of Congress,the fact that it is easier to think of specific congressmen than congresswomen would help you quickly guess that there are more male members.
- However,if you were asked to estimate the danger of being in a plane crash,many people would overestimate the danger because the emotional salience of plane crashes makes them very memorable.

Question 2

One type of mental representation is the concept.How do concepts allow us to relate to the world around us in a manageable way? What are categories,and how do they relate to our use of concepts? Create an example to show what a person's experience in a novel situation might be like if humans didn't organize the world based on concepts and categories.

Answer 2

A good answer will include the following key points.Examples will vary.
- Concepts simplify and summarize information about the world so that it is manageable.
- Because of concepts,we can organize information in a meaningful way and identify new objects and ideas quickly.
- Categories refer to clusters of interrelated concepts,and help us to understand the relationship between concepts.
- Without concepts or categories,in a novel environment we would have to carefully examine every object to determine what it was and what purpose it served.
- For example,every time we met a different type of dog,we would be unsure of what type of animal it is.

Question 3

Identify three specific nonhuman primates discussed in your textbook that researchers attempted to teach to use language.In each example,briefly describe the research and the results.

Answer 3

A good answer will include the following key points.
- Viki-a chimpanzee that was raised as a member of a human family (i.e. ,cross-fostered).After many years of trying,Viki could only whisper about four words.
- Washoe-a chimpanzee taught to use American Sign Language.Washoe learned approximately 200 signs and was able to generalize some of them to new situations.
- Kanzi-a bonobo taught to use keys on a computerized board to communicate.His trainers argue that Kanzi was able to understand symbols and at least some syntax.