Language, Thought and Communication | AQA GCSE Psychology (8182)
Language, Thought and Communication
- 64 questions
- 4 subtopics
- Paper 2
- Paper 2
Language, Thought and Communication is examined in Paper 2, Social context and behaviour.
It covers language, thought and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, animal communication and von Frisch's bee study, non-verbal communication and explaining non-verbal behaviour through Darwin and Yuki.
Sample questions from Language, Thought and Communication
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Language, thought and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
What does the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis claim?
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The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis claims that thinking depends on language. The language a person speaks shapes how they see and think about the world. -
Language, thought and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
What evidence from the Dani of New Guinea challenges the strong version of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?
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The Dani have only two colour words. Rosch found they still remembered focal colours better than other shades, just as English speakers did. Thinking about colour did not depend on having the words. -
Animal communication and von Frisch's bee study
What was the aim of von Frisch's bee study?
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Von Frisch aimed to find out how honeybees tell other bees where to find food. -
Animal communication and von Frisch's bee study
Give one strength of von Frisch's bee study.
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Von Frisch's careful observations have been repeated many times. Radar tracking later confirmed that bees fly in the direction the dance indicates. -
Non-verbal communication
How does eye contact express emotion?
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Prolonged eye contact can show affection or, as a hard stare, hostility. Avoiding eye contact can signal embarrassment, sadness or guilt. -
Non-verbal communication
What is personal space?
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Personal space is the invisible area around a person that they feel is their own. People feel uncomfortable when others enter it uninvited. -
Explaining non-verbal behaviour: Darwin and Yuki
How does cross-cultural research support the idea that facial expressions are innate?
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Ekman found that people in many cultures, including an isolated group in Papua New Guinea, recognised the same basic emotions. Universal expressions suggest a biological origin. -
Explaining non-verbal behaviour: Darwin and Yuki
What did Yuki conclude?
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Yuki concluded that culture shapes how people read facial expressions, so the skill is partly learned. Yuki suggested the eyes are harder to control, so they are a more reliable cue where emotional restraint is the norm.
The 4 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Language, thought and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis | Piaget's view that thought comes before language, the strong and weak Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, and the evidence from colour naming, Hopi, Navajo and the Dani. | 16 |
| Animal communication and von Frisch's bee study | How animals communicate for survival, reproduction, territory and food, von Frisch's round and waggle dances, and how human language differs, including displacement. | 16 |
| Non-verbal communication | Eye contact, open and closed posture, postural echo, touch, and personal space with Hall's zones and the effects of culture, status and gender. | 16 |
| Explaining non-verbal behaviour: Darwin and Yuki | Darwin's evolutionary theory of non-verbal behaviour, evidence from newborns, sensory deprivation and cross-cultural research, display rules, and Yuki's emoticon study. | 16 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
AQA GCSE Psychology Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 619 questions with their answers.