Language as cognitive tool kit: How language supports relational thought

The extreme version of the Whorfian hypothesis-that the language we learn determines how we view the world-has been soundly rejected by linguists and psychologists alike. However, more moderate versions of the idea that language may influence thought have garnered recent empirical support. This arti...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American psychologist Vol. 71; no. 8; p. 650
Main Author: Gentner, Dedre
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States 01.11.2016
Subjects:
Cognition
Concept Formation
Humans
Language
ISSN:1935-990X, 1935-990X
Online Access:Get more information
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The extreme version of the Whorfian hypothesis-that the language we learn determines how we view the world-has been soundly rejected by linguists and psychologists alike. However, more moderate versions of the idea that language may influence thought have garnered recent empirical support. This article defends 1 such view. I propose that language serves as a that allows us to represent and reason in ways that would be impossible without such a symbol system. I present evidence that learning and using relational language can foster relational reasoning-a core capacity of higher order cognition. In essence, language makes one smarter. (PsycINFO Database Record
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:1935-990X
1935-990X
DOI:10.1037/amp0000082