THE INFLUENCE OF LANGUAGE ON THOUGHT

Experimental psychologists regard the hypothesis that language influences thought to be disconfirmed. In this paper, we examine (a) traditional interpretations of the hypothesis, (b) the basis on which the disconfirmation rests, and (c) experimental evidence supporting effects of language on memory, perception, problem-solving, and judgment. The purpose of this analysis is to question the prevalent view that the language-thought hypothesis is disconfirmed as well as to motivate renewed experimental interest, especially in the study of social cognition, where the social nature of thought is a primary assumption.