Question 1

Our best evidence for the importance of early development in human language learning is the fact that

Accepted Answer

A)  animals, such as chimpanzees, are able to learn some language with signs. 
B)  children typically have a large vocabulary by age 2. 
C)  if deaf children are not exposed to some sort of sign language by age 12, they will never learn it well. 
D)  bilingual children are quite adept at creating synonyms for familiar words. 
A)  animals, such as chimpanzees, are able to learn some language with signs. 
B)  children typically have a large vocabulary by age 2. 
C)  if deaf children are not exposed to some sort of sign language by age 12, they will never learn it well. 
D)  bilingual children are quite adept at creating synonyms for familiar words.

Question 2

Critical thinking can best be defined as

Accepted Answer

A)  the careful evaluation of evidence for and against any conclusion. 
B)  the process by which one compares a goal with the means to achieve that goal. 
C)  the ability to think in unique and novel ways. 
D)  the learning which takes place after preattention. 
A)  the careful evaluation of evidence for and against any conclusion. 
B)  the process by which one compares a goal with the means to achieve that goal. 
C)  the ability to think in unique and novel ways. 
D)  the learning which takes place after preattention.

Question 3

You are at a basketball game, and 100 students in one section are wearing matching white t-shirts, while one student is wearing a bright red shirt. You are likely to immediately notice the person in red

Accepted Answer

A)  due to motivated cognition. 
B)  by systematically comparing each student to every other student. 
C)  by a preattentive process. 
D)  only if the students in that section are cheering for your team. 
A)  due to motivated cognition. 
B)  by systematically comparing each student to every other student. 
C)  by a preattentive process. 
D)  only if the students in that section are cheering for your team.

Question 4

A cognitive psychologist wants to learn about how a person thinks when solving a problem. What is the primary difficulty with simply asking people to describe their own thought process?

Accepted Answer

A)  Research participants usually lie when describing their thought processes. 
B)  People think differently in a psychology laboratory than they do in "real life." 
C)  People are not always aware of how they solve particular problems. 
D)  Problem solving always involves thinking without words. 
A)  Research participants usually lie when describing their thought processes. 
B)  People think differently in a psychology laboratory than they do in "real life." 
C)  People are not always aware of how they solve particular problems. 
D)  Problem solving always involves thinking without words.

Question 5

What is a prototype?

Accepted Answer

A)  an exception to the rule 
B)  a defining characteristic or list of characteristics 
C)  a term that has not been defined 
D)  a typical example of a category 
A)  an exception to the rule 
B)  a defining characteristic or list of characteristics 
C)  a term that has not been defined 
D)  a typical example of a category

Question 6

A child learns the word feet, but several months later stops saying "feet" and instead uses "foots." What seems to be the primary cause (or best explanation) of this change?

Accepted Answer

A)  The child learns foots is easier to pronounce. 
B)  The child hears other people using the word foots. 
C)  The child is trying to apply grammatical rules it is learning. 
D)  The child is reinforced for saying "foots" by parents and siblings who are amused at the error. 
A)  The child learns foots is easier to pronounce. 
B)  The child hears other people using the word foots. 
C)  The child is trying to apply grammatical rules it is learning. 
D)  The child is reinforced for saying "foots" by parents and siblings who are amused at the error.

Question 7

Strategies for simplifying a problem or for guiding an investigation are known as

Accepted Answer

A)  heuristics. 
B)  algorithms. 
C)  prototypes. 
D)  cognitive maps. 
A)  heuristics. 
B)  algorithms. 
C)  prototypes. 
D)  cognitive maps.

Question 8

Some species (e.g., dolphins, whales) have brains that are physically larger than humans. It looks as if large brains and high intelligence

Accepted Answer

A)  are strongly correlated with language ability. 
B)  lead to a serious deficiency in the ability to understand spoken language. 
C)  do not automatically produce language. 
D)  keep bonobos from developing a fully integrated language system. 
A)  are strongly correlated with language ability. 
B)  lead to a serious deficiency in the ability to understand spoken language. 
C)  do not automatically produce language. 
D)  keep bonobos from developing a fully integrated language system.

Question 9

Someone tells you that if you say "abracadabra" every morning you will stay healthy. You say it daily, and, sure enough, you stay healthy. You conclude that saying this magic word really does ensure health. What error in thinking have you made?

Accepted Answer

A)  failure to use the availability heuristic 
B)  inappropriate use of categorization-by-levels 
C)  over-reliance on base-rate information 
D)  premature commitment to one hypothesis 
A)  failure to use the availability heuristic 
B)  inappropriate use of categorization-by-levels 
C)  over-reliance on base-rate information 
D)  premature commitment to one hypothesis

Question 10

The term "base-rate information" refers to information about

Accepted Answer

A)  what percentage of the available information supports a theory. 
B)  how rare or common something is. 
C)  how well someone can perform a given task. 
D)  the relationship between learning and performance. 
A)  what percentage of the available information supports a theory. 
B)  how rare or common something is. 
C)  how well someone can perform a given task. 
D)  the relationship between learning and performance.

Question 11

What are heuristics?

Accepted Answer

A)  mental representations of spatial arrangements 
B)  mechanical, repetitive mathematical procedures for solving a problem 
C)  strategies for simplifying a problem or for guiding an investigation 
D)  highly typical members of a category 
A)  mental representations of spatial arrangements 
B)  mechanical, repetitive mathematical procedures for solving a problem 
C)  strategies for simplifying a problem or for guiding an investigation 
D)  highly typical members of a category

Question 12

Compared to normal readers, speed readers

Accepted Answer

A)  see more letters per fixation. 
B)  see the same number of letters per fixation. 
C)  see fewer letters per fixation. 
D)  are far more likely to move their eyes smoothly when reading, and not stop or fixate on any specific letters. 
A)  see more letters per fixation. 
B)  see the same number of letters per fixation. 
C)  see fewer letters per fixation. 
D)  are far more likely to move their eyes smoothly when reading, and not stop or fixate on any specific letters.

Question 13

Beginning in the 1920s, some chimpanzees were raised by psychologists in their homes as they would raise a child. What were these researchers attempting to discover?

Accepted Answer

A)  whether the principles of operant conditioning applied to animals as well as humans 
B)  whether the principles of classical conditioning applied to animals as well as humans 
C)  whether chimpanzees could learn language 
D)  whether chimpanzees could learn to use heuristics 
A)  whether the principles of operant conditioning applied to animals as well as humans 
B)  whether the principles of classical conditioning applied to animals as well as humans 
C)  whether chimpanzees could learn language 
D)  whether chimpanzees could learn to use heuristics

Question 14

Which of the following best distinguishes speed readers from normal readers?

Accepted Answer

A)  understanding of the basic points of what has been read 
B)  the number of letters taken in for each fixation 
C)  size of vocabulary 
D)  duration of each fixation 
A)  understanding of the basic points of what has been read 
B)  the number of letters taken in for each fixation 
C)  size of vocabulary 
D)  duration of each fixation

Question 15

The ability to find a way to express new ideas or different ways of expressing old ideas demonstrates what feature of language?

Accepted Answer

A)  creativity 
B)  transformation 
C)  exposition 
D)  productivity 
A)  creativity 
B)  transformation 
C)  exposition 
D)  productivity

Question 16

Because it is easier to think of words that start with "k" than words that have "k" as the third letter, most people assume that our language has more words starting with "k" than words with "k" in the third position. That kind of reasoning is an example of

Accepted Answer

A)  cognitive maps. 
B)  the Stroop effect. 
C)  the availability heuristic. 
D)  categorization by levels. 
A)  cognitive maps. 
B)  the Stroop effect. 
C)  the availability heuristic. 
D)  categorization by levels.

Question 17

In one study, people who make their living predicting world events (government officials, foreign policy professors, newspaper columnists, etc.) were asked to predict U.S. and world politics over the next several years. Those who were most accurate were more likely than others to

Accepted Answer

A)  be extremely conservative, politically. 
B)  be extremely liberal, politically. 
C)  base their predictions on historical analogy. 
D)  have reservations about the accuracy of their predictions. 
A)  be extremely conservative, politically. 
B)  be extremely liberal, politically. 
C)  base their predictions on historical analogy. 
D)  have reservations about the accuracy of their predictions.

Question 18

Modern psychologists who study how we use language believe that

Accepted Answer

A)  thought is merely subvocal language. 
B)  most, if not all, of the sentences we use are ones we have heard in the past and memorized. 
C)  we learn rules for making and interpreting sentences, rather than memorizing all the sentences we will ever use. 
D)  all primates are capable of understanding and producing language. 
A)  thought is merely subvocal language. 
B)  most, if not all, of the sentences we use are ones we have heard in the past and memorized. 
C)  we learn rules for making and interpreting sentences, rather than memorizing all the sentences we will ever use. 
D)  all primates are capable of understanding and producing language.

Question 19

If people are given a choice between two foods, one of which they are told is "good for you" and the other of which they are told is "not bad for you," what will happen?

Accepted Answer

A)  Most will prefer the one they were told is "good for you." 
B)  Most will prefer the one they were told is "not bad for you." 
C)  Very few people will exhibit any preference for one over the other. 
D)  Most people will refuse to eat either food. 
A)  Most will prefer the one they were told is "good for you." 
B)  Most will prefer the one they were told is "not bad for you." 
C)  Very few people will exhibit any preference for one over the other. 
D)  Most people will refuse to eat either food.

Question 20

Each unit of meaning in a word is called a

Accepted Answer

A)  basic unit. 
B)  syntax. 
C)  phoneme. 
D)  morpheme. 
A)  basic unit. 
B)  syntax. 
C)  phoneme. 
D)  morpheme.

Exam 8: Cognition and Language

Our best evidence for the importance of early development in human language learning is the fact that

Critical thinking can best be defined as

You are at a basketball game, and 100 students in one section are wearing matching white t-shirts, while one student is wearing a bright red shirt. You are likely to immediately notice the person in red

A cognitive psychologist wants to learn about how a person thinks when solving a problem. What is the primary difficulty with simply asking people to describe their own thought process?

What is a prototype?

A child learns the word feet, but several months later stops saying "feet" and instead uses "foots." What seems to be the primary cause (or best explanation) of this change?

Strategies for simplifying a problem or for guiding an investigation are known as

Some species (e.g., dolphins, whales) have brains that are physically larger than humans. It looks as if large brains and high intelligence

Someone tells you that if you say "abracadabra" every morning you will stay healthy. You say it daily, and, sure enough, you stay healthy. You conclude that saying this magic word really does ensure health. What error in thinking have you made?

The term "base-rate information" refers to information about

What are heuristics?

Compared to normal readers, speed readers

Beginning in the 1920s, some chimpanzees were raised by psychologists in their homes as they would raise a child. What were these researchers attempting to discover?

Which of the following best distinguishes speed readers from normal readers?

The ability to find a way to express new ideas or different ways of expressing old ideas demonstrates what feature of language?

Because it is easier to think of words that start with "k" than words that have "k" as the third letter, most people assume that our language has more words starting with "k" than words with "k" in the third position. That kind of reasoning is an example of

In one study, people who make their living predicting world events (government officials, foreign policy professors, newspaper columnists, etc.) were asked to predict U.S. and world politics over the next several years. Those who were most accurate were more likely than others to

Modern psychologists who study how we use language believe that

If people are given a choice between two foods, one of which they are told is "good for you" and the other of which they are told is "not bad for you," what will happen?

Each unit of meaning in a word is called a

What Is Psychology

A --What Is Psychology

Scientific Methods in Psychology

A--Scientific Methods in Psychology

Biological Psychology

A--Biological Psychology

Sensation and Perception

A--Sensation and Perception

Nature, Nurture, and Human Development

A--Nature, Nurture, and Human Development

Learning

A--Learning

Memory

A--Memory

A--Cognition and Language

Intelligence

A--Intelligence

Consciousness

A--Consciousness

Motivated Behaviors

A--Motivated Behaviors

Emotional Behaviors, Stress, and Health

A--Emotional Behaviors, Stress, and Health

Social Psychology

A--Social Psychology

Personality

A--Personality

Abnormality, Therapy, and Social Issues

A--Abnormality, Therapy, and Social Issues

Specific Disorders and Treatments

A--Specific Disorders and Treatments

Exam Extenssion: S 1-16--Final Examination

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