Exam 8: Thinking, Reasoning and Language

Newborn infants show a preference for

What term do psychologists use to describe our tendency to search for evidence that supports our belief and to ignore evidence that might disprove it?

Using words like hee-haw or cock-a-doodle-doo to describe the sound that a donkey or rooster might make provides us with examples of ________.

The basic units of sound in a language, which are called ________, vary in number from one language to the next.

________ speculated that thinking operates as a form of internal speech.

Sign language requires the signer to use the face, hands, body, and ________ to communicate.

By the age of 10 months, an infant will generally

Language is

________ help us draw conclusions and solve problems in a "fast and frugal" way.

Helen Keller's writings suggest support for the

Generating a cognitive strategy to accomplish a goal is the definition of ________.

As noted in both Chapters 2 and 8, human beings tend to be cognitive ________; that is, we economise mentally in a variety of ways that reduce our mental effort.

Researchers have found that despite the number of colour names in a language, the basic abilities to perceive colour are unchanged. This finding would be troublesome for the theory of ________.

The ambiguity of language is BEST illustrated by which of the following examples?

For some time, Australian educational policy was based on the research-based belief that teaching children to recognise whole words was the best way to teach reading skills. As it turns out, this was incorrect. The best way to teach reading skills is to teach analysis and recognition of sound-letter relationships. The mistake was a result of incorrect conclusions based on specific types of research. What error of critical thinking took place?

Using the ________ procedure, researchers have found that infants can recognise sounds to which they were exposed in utero.

Alex and Nicole just got married. They move into their new apartment and realise they need a coffee table. Alex takes four stacks of old textbooks and forms the legs of the table. He then takes an old piece of cardboard and lays it across the four "legs". Which cognitive tendency has Alex clearly mastered?

Nigel is out on a blind date. He decides after only five minutes with this new woman that he likes her. Is this snap decision a wise one?

A loose screw on the visor causes it to drop down while Ben drives; however, he keeps forgetting to take a screwdriver out to the car to fix it. When he notices the visor drop again, he reaches into his pocket for a dime he uses to tighten the screw holding the visor. What problem-solving difficulty did Ben overcome?

Social context and the use of gestures and facial expressions by the speaker are examples of ________ information.