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,
• https://youtu.be/LjQM8PzCEY0
• https://youtu.be/lw3YTbuby
• 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 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.

Peer 1

For the final discussion for this course, I am compelled to agree that the power of the tongue is very significant to perception. Proverbs 18:21 put it this way, The tongue has the power of life and death. The words that you speak can either speak life or death for an individual. Language is a vital part of the human connection. Humans are the only species that are capable of mastering cognitive language. Our words are so powerful that they can build an individual up or tear an individual down. For example, if you continuously tell an individual that they are not capable of accomplishing a task or goal, there thoughts from your words can affect their mindset. If you speak greatness, more than likely the individual will develop an growth mindset , which will assist them with accomplishing that goal. Language and perception are two central cognitive systems, and it doesn’t limit our ability to have a perception about the world around us. It allows us to focus our attention and thoughts on certain things that are apart of the world. The way that a person speaks or communicates is something that we all can observe. Language is what is utilized to determine the character and intellect an individual has. Language is used to transfer our thoughts from one mind to the other. This is what causes an individual to entertain a new thought, which can have profound effects on the knowledge of this world. A thought can exist without language also, but it can not be communicated without language, for example, signal interpretation. An example would be the hand signals that I use in the classroom to indicate the need for the restroom or water. The signal is interpreted and a response is given after the thought process of the student is in need.

Peer 2

In examining theories between language and habits, there is strong evidence of correlation between concepts such as futureless languages and total GDP savings each year. According to Keith Chen, there are numerous data sets of statistical evidence of such connections between future and futureless languages and lifestyle or wellbeing. But in the topic of statistics, we cannot automatically assume this to be fact or that it represents the population as a whole, but mere theory. Causation, as it is stated, is not the same as correlation and concreting Chen’s claims as the solution and evidence for answers to this problem is spurious and an instance of inferential statistics- which should be avoided (Chen, n.d.). But as there are multiple studies showing similar evidence and a high correlation between these two variables, I concur with the theory that language and habit are related.

We also see evidence in our language that communicates through the indirect inferred meaning. The ‘vagueness of language’ allows for individualized uses and personalization that allows for other aspects to speak where words do not- resulting in us relying on aspects such as relationship to fill in the gaps in communication (Pinker, 2007). This points to habits being formed due to relational needs in interpreting data found in language used in communication. This data alongside the data that links savings and language shows that language forms habits- fulfilling the need for relational understanding and economic wellbeing.

But then you have to think- Which comes first? It seems to me that the issue is quite similar to the chicken and the egg. While language seems to affect habits, humans existed long before language did. Communication began in alternative forms since the time there was more than one human on earth- which is certainly much earlier than language was developed, leading me to wonder if habit formed language instead, although evidence points elsewhere. According to research, habit is formed through repetition of some practice. Language can be that practice of repetition of the meaning behind the habits formed. Although, it could still be that language was created in a culture in a way that promoted certain habits (Garner & Rebar, 2019). Either way it is a good topic which I am interested in looking more in to.