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Category: Linguistics

Prototype theory (s18e8)

Posted in Cognitive Psychology, and Linguistics

The final task of the show is a team task in which teams are given a category by Greg, and must simultaneously, without conferring, name something in that category. Points are given if both team members say the same item in the category. This clip could be shown to demonstrate how some items feel more representative of a category than others.

The full task lasts from 40:36-44:30. It gets a bit silly at the end but what’s a Taskmaster clip without a bit of silliness. I also suspect this same game could be used as a fun class demonstration with a few solid volunteers, but haven’t tried it!

Theory of mind / common ground (s11e10)

Posted in Cognitive Psychology, and Linguistics

In this team task, the contestants had to direct their blindfolded teammates to a particular spot using only three words at a time, every 30 seconds. To accomplish the task, the “directors” need to put themselves in the shoes of their blindfolded teammates.

This task is a nice demonstration to show alongside a discussion of establishing common ground and referential communication.

The full task goes from 28:47 to 38:07, but ending at 32:18 is probably sufficient for a demo.