Language as an Exemplar of Cognitive Psychological Concepts - Research Paper Example

? Language as an exemplar of Cognitive Psychological Concepts Language as an exemplar of Cognitive Psychological Concepts Introduction Cognitive psychology particularly studies the mental processes revolving around human thinking, perception, memory and learning. It is further associated with neurosciences, linguistics and philosophy. However, its basic objective is to analyze how people obtain, process and retain information in their brain. For instance, decision making process is one of the cognitive processes which play an important role in rational thinking, intuitive selections and in solving the engineering, managerial and economic problems. The decision making process is strongly influenced by an individual’s language and the way he actually executes the idea on the basis of prior knowledge. Language is a comprehensive cognitive process which extensively entails attention, response and awareness about information (Anderson, 2010). It also involves other factors such as mental representations on the basis of spoken words, storage of memory and its timely retrieval. All of these factors are essential for problem solving ability of humans while reasoning and decision making is also done on the basis of effective language utilization (Anderson, 2010). Consider a manager who needs to hire few employees. As per the hiring process he would initially use his knowledge and past experience whereas he would ultimately assist the individual candidate depending upon his intuition and language skills. This paper aims to critically analyze language as an exemplar of cognitive psychological concepts since it integrates majority of the psychological theories. The primary discussion would be based upon the Anderson’s Cognitive Psychology and its Implications. The unit material and class discussions would be used to evaluate the participation of language while identifying its partial or comprehensive role in Cognitive Psychology. Thesis Statement Following is the thesis statement: “Research indicates that language can be used as recapitulation for many of the cognitive psychological concepts. If it is true then how far language can be used as an exemplar of Cognitive Psychology; either it covers the entire subject or it is limited to some parts only.” Discussion Cognitive neuroscience is primarily responsible to evaluate biological aspects of mental processes. Moreover, cognitive functions and cognition as a whole is produced by an advanced computation modeling and neuropsychological process. It further includes electrophysiology, neuroimaging and environmental analysis of patients (Anderson, 2010). Banich and Compton have thoroughly discussed the role of language in ‘Cognitive Psychology’. For instance, the left hemisphere of brain is exclusively responsible for language processing and therefore the organization of spoken words is different among right-handers and left-handers. Although the left hemisphere is responsible for the speech patterns of left-handers but they are also able to produce speech from a combination of right hemisphere and left hemisphere. However, this particular characteristic is hardly observed in right-handers (Compton & Banich, 2011). Organization of language in the neural context can be further understood by analyzing brain-damaged patients. For example, cortex in the left hemisphere has found to identify sound images of spoken words while processing language. On the other hand, cortex is also crucial for speech production (Compton & Banich, 2011). The clarity of speech, use of complete sentences and the perception of spoken words are very important in order to transfer the accurate message. All these factors are predominantly controlled by anterior and posterior cortex and the sub-cortical and cortical regions of the left hemisphere. Hence it can be said that brain processes language by a mutual coordination of different parts in the left hemisphere. However, disruptive speech might be caused by environmental factors other than the problems in an individual’s neuroscience. Emotional distress, speaking in a foreign language or facing huge audience are common factors causing hindrance in understanding different words (Compton & Banich, 2011). Attention is a fundamental component of language as it not only facilitates people in comprehending different situations but it also assists them in analyzing, storing and recalling the information when needed. One of the most effective methods of gaining expertise in language is to strengthen the process of maintaining attention and figuring out the important aspects from any given situation (Anderson, 2010). Some of the researchers have actually identified attention control as a skill possessed by few people. Different training processes such as part-task training or whole-task training might be used to increase an individual’s attention expertise. However, this also requires improving the internal and external focuses of attention. Research indicates that external attention focuses i.e. the environment and consequences of movements in body parts can increase the learning ability of people. It primarily happens because when people pay attention to the external environment then the motor skills of their brains work more efficiently while increasing their understanding of different phenomenon. This is then related with an overall increase in language expertise (Anderson, 2010). Mental imagery is yet another psychological concept which enables an individual to form images of different things and thoughts. Humans are able to form verbal mental images while representing them during speeches. In verbal mental imagery, people imitate emotions and experiences in a psychological pattern. They actually speak within their cognitive limitations and therefore mental depictions are also made through the use of language. For instance, criminals can be evaluated for their psychological patterns and criminal instincts through analyzing their language and mental images. Furthermore, people identify each other and talk comfortably over the traditional telephones due to the verbal images they have formed about different individuals (Anderson, 2010). It also plays a significant role in comprehension and academic learning. If a student who writes exactly what his teacher says then he must be doing so under the influence of his mental images and their subsequent representations. This actually helps people in making profound depiction of reality on the basis of previously stored verbal mental images in brain. Now consider a reader who forms different verbal images in his/her mind regarding the characters which are then exposed in his explanation of the story. As a speaker he would have to collectively utilize mental rotation, cognitive maps and mental movement in order to produce speech and also to represent the mental images (Kosslyn, et. al., 2006). Verbal mental imagery also affects the implementation of intentions which represent that how and when an individual will perform a specific task so as to achieve the desired outcomes. Research indicates that mental imagery is an effective tool which is extensively used to fulfill the positive intentions. However, the entire process of implementation intention from the formation of verbal mental images to their respective representation is highly dependent upon an individual’s perception. This happens because perception deals with reality whereas verbal images are only the reflection of what people wants (Kosslyn, et. al., 2006). In order to develop language skills it is significant to first process information that it is easily retrievable when needed. There are certain information systems which do not help in recalling information while on the other hand there are few tasks and activities which do not require prior experience. This shall be further discussed through the following theories. Information processing is done in different ways, for instance, phonemic processing enables an individual to encode sound while structural processing focuses more towards the physical attributes. In contrast to these shallow processing is used for short term purposes. The stronger is the information processing the easier is to store data for longer time period (Anderson, 2010). The PQ4R (preview, question, read, reflect, recite and review) is one of the most effective learning tools which facilitates in elaborative and immediate information processing. PQ4R not only helps people in understanding difficult things rather it also equips them to easily communicate the information. This can be done in the form of written or spoken words. For instance, students use PQ4R for their studies which subsequently help them in relating different topics. These learners can also recall information through reconstruction and inference (Greene, 2004). Consequently it can be said that PQ4R helps in the development of language skills. Flashbulb memories usually develop when people undergo severe emotional stress or listens shocking news. Since Flashbulb memories are largely dependent upon instant mental reactions towards a given situation therefore they are mostly considered as inaccurate. They are primarily based upon biasness and also deteriorated over the time (Talarico & Rubin, 2003). These might erupt due to natural disasters, death of a close relative or an influential person etc. Since these memories are reliant upon short instances rather than a complete experience thus they are largely categorized as unreliable and cannot be used as a developing tool for language skills (Talarico & Rubin, 2003). The decay theory explains that memory can lost due to not retrieving it over a significant time period. It is also affected by the interference i.e. when people start forgetting things due to changing practices. Interference might cause by the new experiences which replaces previously held opinions (Morris and Gruneberg, 2006). Hence these two theories do not support the claim of language as an exemplar of Cognitive Psychology. Explicit memory deals with the retrieval of particular information while performing any task. It represents a typical example of students who memorize statistical formulae while recalling them during an exam. Contrary to this, the implicit memory enables an individual to perform task without recalling the past experience. In this condition people do not require to have complete awareness about different procedures while they also do not need to consciously consider their activities (Anderson, 2010). For example, people who regularly make toast hardly ever consider the steps and procedures involved in the whole preparation process. Implicit memory is also known as no-declarative memory. However, sensory memory is entirely different as it posses distinguished aspects of recalling memory time. This facilitates people in attaining suitable and accurate information (Anderson, 2010). All three of them can be used for the development of language skills because they revolve around recognition and recall. Language requires to be handled with expertise because it affects an individual’s decision making skills. As previously discussed that decision making is done while considering the past experiences and acquired knowledge therefore when people lack the required degree of expertise in handling language then they fail to make efficient decisions (Anderson, 2010). For instance, Functional Fixedness is a mental disorder which discourages an individual to think in a broader perspective. This subsequently affects the normal behavior, perception of information, memory storage, reasoning, retrieval and verbal mental representations. All these are the core components of language in terms of cognitive psychology. Hence for making effective decisions one has to have strong language skills. Degree of expertise in handling language can be increased by acquiring knowledge, learning the expertise patterns while relating the experiences. Thinking beyond the normal practices and also considering the alternatives is crucial for decision making but the patients of functional fixedness are unable to do so. Therefore, they are required to first strengthen their information processes. This should be further associated with the recognition of one’s distinctive skills and abilities. Incorporating all these factors with the preceding experience would actually help these patients in overcoming their mental disorder. The importance of verbal mental images and representation cannot be neglected while increasing the degree of expertise with which language is handled (Anderson, 2010). Reasoning is an important aspect of language which cannot be performed without effective language skills. For instance, inductive reasoning is a unique process by which an individual makes an observation primarily based upon relevant examples. Consider that if a football is thrown in an upward direction then there are maximum chances that it will fall back. Such a prediction is made through inductive reasoning. On the other hand, the deductive reasoning is made through the implementation of general and universally accepted rules. Consider the football example again; the law of gravity states that anything which is thrown up would fall down due to the earth’s gravitational force. Although both the examples are similar but the reasoning applied in both cases is entirely different (Flynn, 2004). This substantiates that language and the selection of words actually play a vital role in rational thinking and reasoning. Anderson’s ‘Cognitive Psychology and its Implications’ has identified the decision making styles of young people. Since adolescents have significant inclination towards making risky decisions therefore language plays an important role in their activities. Adolescence’s risky activities are also termed as mental disorders because in this condition an individual patient fails to critically analyze the situation while neglecting the past experiences and future consequences. Some of the researchers such as Steinberg has emphasized upon the fact that language might be an appropriate tool to tackle with the adult decision making problems. But in the case of adolescence knowledge does not really alters the behaviors. Hence psychologists are required to utilize the behavior theories (Steinberg, 2008). Conclusion Language is a distinctive cognitive process which incorporates different processes including attention, perception, recall, verbal mental representation and memory storage. Apart from these it has a very close association with reasoning, decision making and problem solving. Since it covers a large number of Cognitive Psychological Concepts therefore it has been proposed that language can be used as an exemplar of cognitive psychology. The above discussion about perception and spoke words, attention, verbal mental imagery and representation, development of language skills, degree of expertise in language and the importance of language in reasoning and decision making substantiates that the cognitive psychology excluding few of the memory theories revolve around the core components of language. All of these factors are linked with information process i.e. identification, storage and retrieval of data. Hence language acts as the model of these concepts while being an exemplar to the cognitive psychology. References Anderson, J. (2010). Cognitive psychology and its implications. New York, NY: Worth Publishers. Compton, R. &. (2011). Cognitive Neuroscience. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. Flynn, J. (2004). Roadmap to the California high school exit exam: Mathematics. United States: The Princeton Review . Greene, B. A. (2004). Predicting high school students’ cognitive engagement and achievement: Contributions of classroom perceptions and motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology , 462-482. Kosslyn, S. M. (2006). The case for mental imagery. New York: Oxford University Press. Morris, M. &. (2006). Theoretical aspects of memory. London: Routledge. Steinberg, L. (2008). A social neuroscience perspective on adolescent risk-taking. Developmental Review , 78-106. Talarico, J. M. (2003). Confidence, not consistency, characterizes flashbulb memories. 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