Language, Thought & Communication is a core part of GCSE Psychology. Revise the key concepts and common mistakes below, then lock them in with the free games.
Key concepts
Sapir-Whorf hypothesisThe language we speak shapes the way we think; strong version claims language determines thought.
Piaget's viewThought develops first, language follows; children must understand a concept before naming it.
Vygotsky's viewLanguage and thought develop separately until age 2, then merge; inner speech guides thinking.
Carmichael (1932)Showed labels given to ambiguous figures altered how participants later reproduced them, supporting Whorf.
Animal communicationVon Frisch's bee waggle dance shows signalling; lacks displacement and creativity of human language.
Linguistic relativityWeaker Whorf claim that language influences but does not determine cognitive categories like colour.
Common mistakes to avoid
Questions where students often pick the tempting wrong answer — make sure you know the right one:
What does the behaviourist approach study?✗ The unconscious mind and dreams. ✓ Observable behaviour and how it is learned.
Do all psychological approaches explain behaviour the same way?✗ Yes, all approaches agree on causes. ✓ No — they differ (e.g. behaviourist, cognitive, biological, psychodynamic).
Practise Language, Thought & Communication — free games
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