Nativism and thought

Nativism and thought

1. constructivist

   • lang depends on thought
     • thinking emerges before lang
       • lang and assoc properties emerge from cog dev
         • lang doesn't affect reasoning in mid childhood
   • communicative function emerges from cog
   • criticisms e.g. blind/deaf
     • cog impaired can still use lang
       • do parents compensate?
     • difficult to assert cause effect rship

2. Fodor

   • content of concepts
   • structure of prepositions
   • concepts: belief fixations not learnt
     • hypotheses internally represented
       • environment confirms or refutes
         • symbolic data/computer code
           • probs: new concepts can't be innate e.g. iPhone
             • lang learning is based on concepts: trying to assoc w/a word

3. mental stance: think, believe, hope

   • mental state: causal, structure, syntax

4. shared properties of lang and thought

   • creative, structure, phenomenally productive
     • thought: not just thought about an object but the mental state that follows
       • affirming the consequent separates thought from belief

5. False belief and propositional attitudes

   • Maxi test - younger children don't understand others have false beliefs
     • theory of mind
       • not inability to supress own beliefs
     • lack of understanding experience of others
   • lack of linguistic competence?
   • deaf children delay in FB
     • role of lang in thought

6. Call and Tomasello

   • chimps and FB
     • lack of understanding false beliefs of others
     • collab/competition
       • better at competition
         • evo diff to humans
           • use gestures without understanding