Does language shape thought or does thought shape language?
The relationship between language and thought: Piaget's view that thought comes before language and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis that language shapes thought.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Psychology 3.6, comparing Piaget's view that thought develops before and shapes language with the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis that the language we speak shapes the way we think.
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What this dot point is asking
AQA wants you to compare two views of the relationship between language and thought: Piaget's view that thought comes first and shapes language, and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis that language shapes thought. In Paper 2 this is examined with explain and discuss items, so be able to state each view, contrast them, and evaluate the evidence.
Piaget's view
Piaget believed children build understanding through their actions and stages of development, and that language simply labels the ideas they already have. As thinking develops through the stages, the child acquires the words to express the concepts they have already grasped. On this view, a child cannot meaningfully use a word until the underlying thought is in place.
The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
Comparing the views
The two views disagree about the direction of the relationship. Piaget says thought drives language; Sapir-Whorf says language drives thought. The evidence is mixed: the strong Sapir-Whorf claim is weakly supported because people can clearly think about ideas they lack a single word for, while the weaker "language influences thought" version has more support. Many psychologists now think the relationship works both ways, with thought and language influencing each other.
Try this
Q1. State Piaget's view on the relationship between language and thought. [2 marks]
- Cue. Thought develops first and shapes language.
Q2. Explain the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. [2 marks]
- Cue. The language we speak shapes or influences the way we perceive and think about the world.
Q3. Identify the difference between the strong and weak versions of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. [2 marks]
- Cue. Strong: language determines thought. Weak: language influences thought.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 20184 marksExplain the difference between Piaget's view and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis on the relationship between language and thought. (Paper 2, Section B)Show worked answer →
A 4-mark Explain item rewards a clear statement of each view plus the contrast in the direction of the relationship.
Piaget argued that thought comes before language: a child must first develop a concept (a thought) through their actions and stage of development before they can use the word for it, so cognition shapes language. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis argues the opposite direction: the language a person speaks shapes the way they think and perceive the world, so language shapes thought.
Markers reward both positions and an explicit statement of the contrasting direction (thought drives language versus language drives thought). The strongest answers note that the two theories disagree about which comes first.
AQA 20224 marksDiscuss the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. (Paper 2, Section B)Show worked answer →
A 4-mark Discuss item rewards an account of the hypothesis plus evidence and a judgement.
The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (linguistic relativity) claims language shapes thought; in its strong form language determines thought, and in its weaker form language influences thought. Support: studies suggest speakers with more colour or category words can distinguish those items more readily, and that grammatical features (such as how a language marks time) can affect attention. Criticism: the strong version has weak support because people can clearly think about concepts they have no single word for, so the weaker influence version is more accepted.
Markers reward defining the hypothesis (including strong and weak versions), at least one piece of supporting evidence, and a judgement that the weaker version is better supported.
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Sources & how we know this
- AQA GCSE Psychology (8182) specification — AQA (2017)