Some psychologists oppose Boroditskys strong stance about the effect of language on thought, suggesting that the effect of language on thought is not as strong. What do you think? Write a 250-400 word essay reflecting on this article. You may consider these questions and issues.

Read this brief article published in the Scientific American by Professor Lera Boroditsky about how language affects thought, including how we think about time and space, our memory for events, and our implicit stereotypes.

http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic1481762.files/Boroditsky-2011.pdf

Some psychologists oppose Boroditsky’s strong stance about the effect of language on thought, suggesting that the effect of language on thought is not as strong. What do you think? Write a 250-400 word essay reflecting on this article. You may consider these questions and issues.

Is the language relativity theory supported by Boroditsky and the research she presents compelling? (10 pts) Which areas of the research she presents did you find most interesting? Which studies seemed surprising for you? (10 pts) Can you relate to these studies and do you have personal experiences that support her argument (e.g., have you noticed a difference between how you think about certain issues and how others who speak other languages do, and can you argue that these differences are due to language differences? If you are bilingual, have you noticed that you think differently depending on which language you are using?) (15 pts) Can you think of alternative explanations for the results of the studies she presents?