PSY 352 - 5.1

In this discussion forum, you will examine what language says about how the human mind works. More specifically, you will consider whether the language people speak (including the words that are available to them and the way words are organized to convey meaning) merely offers a window into human cognition or it can actually affect the way people perceive and understand the world. Please note that your answer to this question needs be supported by scientific evidence. For your initial post, complete the steps below:

• Watch the videos, Steven Pinker: What our Language Habits Reveal (Links to an external site.) and Keith Chen: Could your Language Affect your Ability to Save Money? (Links to an external site.) on the links between language and cognition.
• Read The New York Times article Does Your Language Shape How You Think? (Links to an external site.) to further your understanding of the links between language and cognition.
• Access the Ashford University Library and Google Scholar, review the psycholinguist literature, and then select a research article that offers an answer to the question about whether language shapes perceptions and thoughts or merely reflects them. Share the evidence you have uncovered and your critical examination of such evidence with the class. Your initial post must include a minimum of 300 words.