LING 1010 1st EditionExam # 1 Study Guide Mind vs. Body1. What does cognitive science do?Cognitive science is the study of (mental processes) underlying intelligent behavior (of humans, animals, and even machines). It is an interdisciplinary field. Some scientists use computer programs to simulate hidden processes of the brain. The fundamental assumption of cognitive science is that cognition is information processing meaning the mind is an input-output system.2. How do people approach cognitive science?There are three levels in the study of cognitive science. The first is the Functional Level which seeks to answer questions such as, what is the function of module and how does it work and how does it interact with input to produce output? It somehow must allow children to do something with incoming language which translates to the mental grammar. The second is the Algorithmic Level which is the actual specification of the units and rules that make up the innatesystem and the mental grammar that it develops into. It is more precise because you could actually write down the rules. Finally, there is the Implementational Level which is a specification of the algorithms in the form of a computer program or a neurological model of how the actual brain processes. It is the most concrete level and helps actually see if it works.3. What’s monism?The idea that there is either only mind (idealism) or only matter (materialism). Materialists believe that this thing we call mind is all an illusion because neuroscience doesn’t explain thinking yet. 4. What is idealism?Idealists believe there is only mind. It states that you’re not really here, I’m not really here, it’s all in our imagination. 5. What is materialism? What is behaviorism?The belief that there is only matter; there are two forms. Behaviorism rejects the mind and substitutes behavior for it; trial and error learning. Behaviorists believe in nurture rejecting that the mind has an innate structure. Some people that believe in behaviorism are J.B. Watson, and B.F. Skinner who did an experiment with pigeons in which he taught them to turn in order to get food as a reward. Materialism also includes physicalism which says that the mind is the brain.6. What is dualism?These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.Rene Descartes came up with the idea of mind-body dualism. The body is res extensa and extends in space. The mind is res cogitans which is the thinking stuff. Dualists believe the human body clearly belongs to the material world, but the mind does not.Nature vs. Nurture1. What is the nature-nurture debate?We like to assume that we are different from other animals so many think our knowledge and the way we acquire it must be different. Those that believe in nature think that the knowledge that we are born with comes from nature (instincts). This means some knowledge is innate and that we are born with a workbook. On the contrary, others believe that we get most of our knowledge from experience and the environment. A good way of looking at this is that when wewere born our mind was a blank slate. The reality is most likely that we get knowledge from both nature and nurture.2. Who are some famous rationalists?Rene Descartes, Noam Chomsky, Plato3. Tacit vs. Conscious knowledge.Tacit- Knowledge that we are unaware of.Conscious- Knowledge we are aware of.4. What is Plato’s problem?“How do people come to know so much on the basis of so little experience?” He thought what people know exceeds what they possibly could from experience.5. What is Chomsky’s Innateness Hypothesis?He said that humans have a mind for language and that most knowledge is innate. As a child is exposed to some language the universal grammar (UG) develops into a mental grammar also called the Language Acquisition Device (LAD). Children have a ‘workbook’ with sections that children choose based on what they hear.6. What is evolutionary psychology?It is a theoretical approach to psychology and tries to explain mental traits such as memory, perception and language as adaptations. (Language as an adaptation) The Swiss Army Knife model of the mind says that the human mind is a large collection of modules, each being selected in the course of evolution to solve a specific problem that our hunter-and- gatherer ancestors had to solve. (ie. People used to be jealous because they didn’t have ways to prevent pregnancy like we have today so it was beneficial to make sure that your partner passed down your genes and not someone else’s to the next generation. Today we are still jealous even though there is less reason for it.)General vs. Modular1. What is a module?It is a component of a complex system that has a specific function. Ex. A battery in a car or a hard drive in a computer Some examples of modules of the mind include our visual system, our need to communicate, our moral sense, our lust for sweet, salt, and fat, and our fear of spiders and snakes.2. What are the three levels of a module?- Early modularity: Phrenology was found to be a hoax because we don’t actually have bumps on the head where certain modules exist.- Modest modularity: Jerry Fodor made up criteria for modules. He said every module must have a specific function, it is above our control, they work fast, we are only aware of a small sliver.- Strong modularity: Evolutionary Psychology3. What is informational encapsulation?This means no information exchange between modules. It is as if they are almost functioning in their own bubble. An example of this is visual illusion. In class we saw two tables that were facing different ways and rationally they looked different, but they have the same length and width in reality. Even when Professor van der Hulst showed us they were the same our visual system still told us they were different.4. What is phrenology?An idea that Franz Joseph Gall came up with to explain the various brain areas that hold modules. He said there are bumps on the head where certain modules exist such as parental love, but this was of course found to be incorrect.Linguistics 1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of descriptive vs. prescriptive grammar?Descriptive grammar describes the constructions that people actually produce and it includes slang which can be beneficial because it gives a more accurate