Deck 9: Language and Thought

Question 1

"B" and "p" differ in the way they are produced by a human speaker.As such,they are both examples of:

A)phonemes.
B)symbols.
C)morphemes.
D)phrases.

Answer 1

phonemes.

Question 2

The sentences "The dog chased the cat" and "The dog was chased by the cat" have _____ deep structure and _____ surface structure.

A)different;different
B)the same;different
C)different;the same
D)the same;the same

Answer 2

different;different

Question 3

By best estimates,written human language emerged _____ years ago.

A)3,000
B)6,000
C)1 to 3 million
D)3 to 6 million

Answer 3

6,000

Question 4

Semantics refer to the _____ structure of a sentence.

A)syntactical
B)phonetic
C)morphological
D)deep

Question 5

Grammar rules fall into which two categories?

A)phonological and morphological
B)morphological and syntactical
C)deep structure and surface structure
D)noun phrases and verb phrases

Question 6

"A system for communicating with others using signals that convey meaning and are combined according to rules of grammar" is the definition of:

A)semantics.
B)morphemes.
C)syntax.
D)language.

Question 7

_____ morphemes refer to things and events.

A)Content
B)Phonetic
C)Tangible
D)Function

Question 8

Which expression is a sentence?

A)dogs
B)the dogs
C)the dogs,who were barking very noisily
D)dogs bark

Question 9

Research on language reveals that:

A)relatively few species have developed anything that could even be considered a form of social communication.
B)language really only develops when a species has the ability to communicate vocally.
C)most social species have systems of communication that allow them to transmit messages to one another.
D)there are no commonalities between human language and signalling systems of other animals.

Question 10

Which statement does NOT distinguish human language from the signalling systems of other species?

A)Humans can use language to transmit information to others,whereas animals cannot.
B)Human language has a far more complex structure than other signalling systems.
C)Humans,but not other species,can reference intangible items such as concepts.
D)Human language can be used to describe or categorize things to the thinker using the language.

Question 11

There are about _____ distinct human languages.

A)1,000
B)2,000
C)4,000
D)6,000

Question 12

Deep structure refers to the _____ of a sentence.

A)grammar
B)wording
C)meaning
D)morphology

Question 13

The SMALLEST meaningful units of language are:

A)phonemes.
B)morphemes.
C)phrases.
D)sentences.

Question 14

_____ is the set of rules that specify how the units of language can be combined to produce meaningful messages.

A)Phonemes
B)Grammar
C)Surface structure
D)Deep structure

Question 15

Which expression is a morpheme?

A)b
B)boy
C)the boy
D)the boy cried

Question 16

By best estimates,spoken human language emerged _____ years ago.

A)3,000
B)6,000
C)1 to 3 million
D)3 to 6 million

Question 17

Which expression is a phoneme?

A)dog
B)d
C)the dog
D)the dog runs

Question 18

_____ rules indicate how words can be combined to form phrases and sentences.

A)Morphological
B)Phonological
C)Syntactical
D)Deep structure

Question 19

The word "and" is an example of a _____ morpheme.

A)content
B)phonetic
C)tangible
D)function

Question 20

Linguists have grouped the distinct human languages into about _____ language families.

A)30
B)50
C)70
D)90

Question 21

Lauren has just begun to use two-word phrases,such as "give doll" and "throw ball." Lauren is probably about _____ months old.

A)12 to 18
B)18 to 24
C)24 to 36
D)36 to 60

Question 22

Which statement is TRUE?

A)When you construct a sentence,you start with a simple structure and develop a deep structure.
B)When you comprehend a sentence,you process the simple structure in order to extract the deep structure.
C)Simple structure corresponds to semantics;deep structure corresponds to syntax.
D)The deep structure of a sentence is more easily forgotten than the simple structure of a sentence.

Question 23

The average 1-year-old has a vocabulary of _____ words.

A)3
B)10
C)50
D)100

Question 24

Jody has a vocabulary of about 10,000 words.Her speech recently has begun to include full sentences,questions,negations,and function words.About how old is Jody likely to be?

A)2 years old
B)5 years old
C)7 years old
D)10 years old

Question 25

Between the ages of 1 and 5 years,the average child learns about _____ new words every day.

A)1 or 2
B)3 or 4
C)6 or 7
D)10 or 12

Question 26

Which expression is an example of telegraphic speech?

A)ball
B)bat and ball
C)more juice
D)more

Question 27

Which group of people cannot distinguish between the sounds of "la" and "ra"?

A)Japanese adults only
B)Japanese infants and Japanese adults
C)Japanese infants only
D)Japanese infants,American infants,and Japanese adults

Question 28

Which statement about a child's mastery of language is TRUE?

A)Passive mastery develops faster than active mastery.
B)Active mastery develops faster than passive mastery.
C)Passive and active mastery develop at the same rate.
D)Passive mastery develops faster in some cultures,whereas active mastery develops faster in others.

Question 29

Deaf infants whose parents use American Sign Language (ASL)begin to babble with their hands:

A)later than do infants who are not deaf,and these hand motions are random in nature.
B)around the same time as infants who are not deaf;however,these hand motions are random in nature.
C)later than do infants who are not deaf;however,these hand motions do resemble syllables of ASL.
D)around the same time as infants who are not deaf,and these hand motions resemble syllables of ASL.

Question 30

Babies begin to use single words at an average age of _____ months.

A)4 to 6
B)6 to 10
C)10 to 12
D)12 to 18

Question 31

Two-year-old Lupe says to her mother "More drink" and "Where dog?" This kind of language use is referred to as:

A)telegraphic speech.
B)fast mapping.
C)simple structure.
D)babbling.

Question 32

Human infants begin babbling between the ages of _____ months.

A)1 and 3
B)2 and 4
C)3 and 5
D)4 and 6

Question 33

Children make _____ errors when learning to speak,and the errors they make still _____ grammatical rules.

A)many;do not respect
B)few;respect
C)many;respect
D)few;do not respect

Question 34

By the age of 5 years,the average child has a vocabulary of about _____ words.

A)1,000
B)2,500
C)5,000
D)10,000

Question 35

Quinn just turned 1 year old and has a spoken vocabulary of 15 words.Which statement about Quinn's language development is TRUE?

A)Quinn soon should start learning two to three words per day for the next 4 years.
B)Quinn understands the meaning of more than 15 words.
C)Quinn is behind the norm in her language development.
D)Quinn violates many grammatical rules when she speaks.

Question 36

The sentences "The dog chased the cat" and "The cat was chased by the dog" have _____ deep structure and _____ surface structure.

A)different;different
B)the same;different
C)different;the same
D)the same;the same

Question 37

Which statement about the babbling of deaf babies is FALSE?

A)Deaf babies babble sounds they have never heard.
B)Deaf babies babble sounds in the same order as that of hearing babies.
C)Deaf babies babble earlier relative to the babbling of hearing babies.
D)Deaf babies babble less relative to the babbling of hearing babies.

Question 38

On the day 3-year-old Isabel helped her father build bookshelves,she added the terms "board," "measuring tape," and "dowel" to her vocabulary after her first encounter with these objects.This is an example of:

A)a language acquisition device.
B)fast mapping.
C)telegraphic speed.
D)linguistic relativity.

Question 39

Which statement about a child's ability to distinguish speech sounds is TRUE?

A)Newborns can distinguish among only a few sounds,but by 6 months,babies can distinguish among the sounds of all languages.
B)Newborns can distinguish among the sounds of all languages,but by 6 months,babies lose this ability.
C)Newborns can distinguish among the sounds of all languages,and this ability is retained throughout life.
D)Newborns can distinguish among only the sounds that are spoken to them,and they never develop the ability to distinguish among the sounds of all languages.

Question 40

Fast mapping occurs with:

A)vocabulary only.
B)vocabulary and writing.
C)vocabulary and arithmetic.
D)vocabulary,writing,and arithmetic.

Question 41

Internationally adopted preschoolers acquire a second language:

A)in the same orderly sequence as younger monolingual infants.
B)without having to progress through as many steps as younger monolingual infants.
C)almost immediately,because syntax was already learned in their native language.
D)much slower than do younger monolingual infants,reflecting interference from their native language.

Question 42

When asked what he did at preschool earlier in the day,3-year-old Harry said that he "runned on the playground." This error illustrates:

A)confusing phonemes with morphemes.
B)confusing the deep structure with the simple structure of the sentence.
C)confusing morphemes with syntax.
D)overgeneralizing from the grammatical language rules.

Question 43

A collection of processes located in the human brain that facilitates language learning is called the:

A)language acquisition device.
B)neural syntax mechanism.
C)internal language generator.
D)cortical phoneme library.

Question 44

The "30 million word gap" refers to:

A)anthropological evidence that language use has exploded over the last 6,000 years.
B)language expansion that occurs between the ages of 1 and 5 not accounted for by behaviourist theory.
C)differences in language exposure between children from low and high socioeconomic status.
D)differences in language exposure between American and Asian children.

Question 45

Research has demonstrated that the language deficits observed in children from families with low socioeconomic status are largely the result of:

A)nutritional deficits.
B)genetic factors.
C)the quality of the communication between the child and the primary caregiver.
D)attachment style between the child and the primary caregiver.

Question 46

Children overgeneralize the rules of the grammar that guide their spoken language,resulting in speech language errors.The predictability of these errors illustrates an important point regarding language development,namely that language development:

A)comes about mainly through imitating adult forms of speech.
B)is primarily a matter of memorizing appropriate speech sounds and then repeating them.
C)is a hit-or-miss enterprise;children acquire language largely through trial and error.
D)is guided by implicit grammatical rules that children use to produce new sentences and verbal constructions they've never heard before.

Question 47

According to Skinner's theory of language acquisition,an infant learns to say "ma-ma" in the presence of her mother because:

A)this association is genetically built into the language acquisition device.
B)the mother is an unconditioned stimulus that elicits this unconditioned response.
C)speaking the word is intrinsically reinforcing.
D)mothers provide reinforcement for utterances that sound more and more like "ma-ma."

Question 48

When Karen,a toddler,wants her mother to give her more juice,she says,"More juice," instead of saying,"Juice more." This way of expressing herself shows that Karen understands:

A)fast mapping.
B)function morphemes.
C)syntax.
D)morphology.

Question 49

Learning to form the past tense of words:

A)does not require explicit awareness of grammatical rules.
B)requires formal study of syntax provided by parents or schools.
C)occurs through trial and error.
D)begins at around age 5.

Question 50

With regard to determinants of language learning,behaviourists do NOT focus on:

A)extinction.
B)shaping.
C)biological preparedness.
D)reinforcement.

Question 51

Jen was concerned when her 4-year-old son Anthony started saying,"I eated dinner." Jen should not worry because Anthony is simply:

A)learning how to fast map.
B)confusing the deep structure with the simple structure of the sentence.
C)experiencing a momentary episode of dysphasia.
D)overgeneralizing from the grammatical language rules.

Question 52

Which expression is an example of telegraphic speech?

A)ball
B)bat and ball
C)throw
D)hit ball

Question 53

Which statement is NOT a valid criticism of Skinner's theory of language acquisition?

A)Grammar is rarely explicitly taught.
B)Language expression cannot be shaped by approximations.
C)Children generate many more grammatically correct sentences than what they could possibly hear.
D)Overgeneralization of grammatical rules suggests that trial-and-error grammar learning is not occurring.

Question 54

Which statement illustrates the use of a function morpheme?

A)bat ball
B)throw ball
C)more ball
D)the ball

Question 55

With respect to language acquisition,in what ways-if any-do internationally adopted preschoolers learning a new language differ from monolingual infants?

A)Internationally adopted preschoolers begin using nouns and function morphemes at the same time.
B)Internationally adopted preschoolers begin to speak telegraphically without the need to learn simple morphemes.
C)Internationally adopted preschoolers acquire vocabulary faster than do monolingual infants.
D)The two groups do not differ on language acquisition.

Question 56

Which statement illustrates the use of a function morpheme?

A)drink milk
B)me want milk
C)more cookies
D)milk and cookies

Question 57

When a child says,"Nobody like me," his parents typically:

A)respond more to the grammatical mistake than to the child's meaning.
B)respond more to the child's meaning than to the grammatical mistake.
C)respond equally to the child's meaning and to the grammatical mistake.
D)say nothing in an attempt to extinguish incorrect syntax.

Question 58

The view that we learn language through principles of operant conditioning was proposed by:

A)B)F.Skinner.
B)Noam Chomsky.
C)Carl Wernicke.
D)Paul Broca.

Question 59

Studies of the acquisition of a new language in internationally adopted preschoolers are useful because they allow researchers to:

A)determine the influence of culture on language acquisition.
B)determine the influence of nature versus nurture on language acquisition.
C)separate language learning from general cognitive development.
D)determine how language learning changes with age.

Question 60

Which view of language development holds that language is an innate,biological capacity that humans possess?

A)Skinnerian
B)behaviourist
C)nativist
D)humanist

Question 61

During the first few years of life,language processing in the brain:

A)becomes less concentrated in a few areas and more widely distributed.
B)becomes more concentrated in a few areas and less distributed.
C)shifts from Broca's area to Wernicke's area.
D)shifts from Wernicke's area to Broca's area.

Question 62

When Broca's area is damaged,patients:

A)have a hard time understanding language.
B)usually continue to produce grammatical speech.
C)produce phrases that tend to be devoid of meaning.
D)have a hard time with speech production.

Question 63

Which Mexican immigrant,each of whom is 30 years old,is MOST likely to have developed the best English skills?

A)Teresa,who arrived at age 3
B)Jose,who arrived at age 9
C)Carmen,who arrived at age 15
D)Teresa,Jose,and Carmen should have approximately equivalent English skills.

Question 64

Broca's area is located in the _____ cortex.

A)left frontal
B)right frontal
C)left temporal
D)right temporal

Question 65

Rodrigo has genetic dysphasia.Which statement about Rodrigo is NOT true?

A)Rodrigo probably has normal intelligence.
B)There is an increased chance that people in Rodrigo's family also have genetic dysphasia.
C)Rodrigo has difficulty with learning correct grammatical syntax.
D)Rodrigo has difficulty with the semantics of language.

Question 66

The case of Genie,a child who lived in virtual isolation for a decade,illustrates which important point about the nativist explanation of language development?

A)Language can develop at any stage of growth;the brain is malleable enough to acquire language throughout the life span.
B)Genetic dysphasia results from impoverished environmental conditions.
C)Language can be acquired only within a restricted period of development;after that period,gains in language skills are minimal.
D)Despite isolation from other speakers,language development still occurs,but at a slower rate.

Question 67

The interactionist approach to language development differs from the nativist approach in that the interactionist approach:

A)believes that all verbal behaviour is genetically determined.
B)argues that all verbal behaviour is the result of shaping with reinforcement.
C)believes in the existence of a language acquisition device.
D)places a heavier emphasis on the role of social interactions in language development.

Question 68

The nativist view of language development is associated with:

A)B)F.Skinner.
B)Noam Chomsky.
C)Allen and Beatrix Gardner.
D)Paul Broca.

Question 69

Once _____ is reached,acquiring language becomes almost impossible.

A)2 years of age
B)4 years of age
C)puberty
D)young adulthood

Question 70

The interactionist approach to language development focuses on the interplay between:

A)reinforcement and social learning.
B)social interactions and learning.
C)biology and experience.
D)biology and the language acquisition device.

Question 71

Agnes suffered a stroke that resulted in brain damage.While she has little problem understanding others,she herself can barely utter telegraphic sentences,such as "give blanket" and "Monday appointment doctor." Agnes's symptoms are consistent with:

A)Broca's aphasia.
B)Wernicke's aphasia.
C)genetic dysphasia.
D)a conjunction fallacy.

Question 72

Thad suffered a stroke that resulted in brain damage.Thad is overheard saying,"The rain came before my feelings.I think the funny TV is cold.But it needs help with the scissors." In addition,Thad has an extremely difficult time understanding others when they talk to him.Thad's symptoms are consistent with:

A)Broca's aphasia.
B)Wernicke's aphasia.
C)genetic dysphasia.
D)a conjunction fallacy.

Question 73

Damage to Wernicke's area results in:

A)failure to produce grammatical speech.
B)great difficulty in understanding language.
C)genetic dysphasia.
D)great difficulty in identifying non-language sounds.

Question 74

Japanese can be written in two ways: One way uses symbols to represent speech sounds,much like the English language.The other way uses pictographs to represent ideas,much like the Chinese language.Japanese individuals with Wernicke's aphasia demonstrate great difficulty understanding:

A)symbols representing speech sounds.
B)pictographs.
C)both forms of the language.
D)neither form;their comprehension of the language is relatively unaffected.

Question 75

_____ is defined as the difficulty in producing or comprehending language.

A)Dysphasia
B)Dystaxia
C)Apraxia
D)Aphasia

Question 76

Thad suffered a stroke that resulted in brain damage.Thad is overheard saying,"The rain came before my feelings.I think the funny TV is cold.But it needs help with the scissors." Thad probably has suffered damage to the _____ cortex.

A)right prefrontal
B)left frontal
C)left temporal
D)right temporal

Question 77

People with genetic dysphasia:

A)are able to produce written language but unable to generate spoken language.
B)find certain aspects of human language difficult or impossible to learn,despite having normal intellectual abilities.
C)acquire a language acquisition device only later in life.
D)are able to generate spoken language but unable to produce written language.

Question 78

Agnes suffered a stroke that resulted in brain damage.Agnes now speaks in short staccato sentences devoid of function morphemes.Agnes,however,does not have difficulty understanding the meaning of language spoken to her.She probably has suffered damage to the _____ cortex.

A)right prefrontal
B)left frontal
C)left temporal
D)right temporal

Question 79

The interactionist approach to language development differs from the behaviourist approach in that the interactionist approach:

A)believes that humans have an innate ability to acquire language.
B)believes that environmental factors affect language development.
C)does not believe in the existence of a language acquisition device.
D)places a heavier emphasis on the role of social interactions in language development.

Question 80

Wernicke's area is located in the _____ cortex.

A)left frontal
B)right frontal
C)left temporal
D)right temporal