Week 3-Conference Discussion And Quiz Questions

Front 1

1) In relationship difficulties, do either men or women seem to have more of a memory of all the details of things that were hurtful in the relationship, and why? And can one gender more easily forget and move on?

Back 1

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Front 2

2) Do you think current research gives more support to Skinner or Chomsky in explaining language acquisition?

Back 2

-Nature vs. nurture. Chomsky claims language acquisition is natural. Skinner's theory states language is acquired during nurture; conditioning.
-Chomsky challenged Skinner's theory of language acquisition that basically claimed language must be learned, acquired from other humans and environmental stimuli. Chomsky challenged the details of this theory claiming that language acquisition is hardwired into a human's brain with built-in predispositions for learning grammar, "universal language" which makes us unique and sets us apart from animals.
-Chomsky's theories are based on more research and knowledge of the human brain and the sources for language. There are language characteristics shared by all humans with similarities in grammar that indicated predisposed traits for language. Our form of communication is very unique to any other species, though some come close.

To study the theories of language acquisition:
-Study children who are born without the ability to speak. Study the effecfts of a newborn who is denied specific nurturing-verbal communication.

-To confirm Skinner's theory, a newborn would have to be denied elements of nurture and verbal communication to confirm that the child would not acquire language without essentially be taught the "significance and necessity" of language. There is truth behind Skinner's theory that we are responsive to rewards and punishments and we are conditioned to learn from right and wrong by our environment. Chomsky's theory claims that humans are born with the ability to acquire "universal language", and it is not simply learned; An ability that sets us apart from other species. Chomsky's theories are confirmed with knowledge of the human brain, it complexity-speaking, perceiving, thinking, remembering; areas of the brain that are responsible for reading, writing, language, etc. Scientific study's around language acquisition have focused on comparing humans to other species in order to understand if language is truly unique to humans; it is confirmed that communicating and the ability to form complex sentences are unique to us aand humans alone posses language. Chomsky's theory is reinforced because studies have shown that humans share nouns, verbs, and adjectives- as a foundation for universal language.
Our mind is not simply built to respond and grow based on rewards and punishments.

-In conclusion, nature and nurture are two elements that work together. As humans, we cannot thrive with the absence of one or the other, We are designed with the capability of language acquisition, but without the environment stimulating and awarding us for communicating, we will have difficulty mastering the ability to communicate with others-this weakens our language capabilities, is affects the way we think, which affects our intelligence.

Front 3

1) Can the Swiss psychologist, Jean Piaget, using case studies teach us about children’s thinking after observing and questioning only a few children and reveal things true of all children even better than a quantitative scientific study?



Back 3

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Front 4

2) Does our unconscious or conscious brain make the best possible decisions, and give reasons why?

Back 4

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Front 5

3) Do males or females have the most psychological advantages to mature physically earlier than their same sexed group, and why?

Back 5

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