Deck 9: Language and Thinking

Question 1

Rules that govern the order of words are called:

A) linguistics.
B) phonics.
C) semantics.
D) syntax.

Answer 1

syntax.

Question 2

A friend is trying to solve a problem and you have an idea about how to solve it.Using language,you translate your idea into words,thus effectively transferring your idea from your mind to your friend's mind.In this example,your idea is best considered as an example of a(n):

A) algorithm.
B) mental representation.
C) morpheme.
D) phoneme.

Answer 2

mental representation.

Question 3

The set of rules that dictate how symbols can be combined to create meaningful units of communication is called __________.

A) heuristic
B) linguistic structure
C) grammar
D) syntax

Answer 3

grammar

Question 4

What is wrong with the following sentence? "Psychology test taking I am." This sentence demonstrates incorrect:

A) phonics
B) deep structure
C) semantics
D) syntax

Question 5

The field of science that studies the psychological aspects of language is called:

A) mnemonics.
B) psycholinguistics.
C) psychosemantics.
D) morphology.

Question 6

If the human brain achieved its present form 50,000 years ago,but realistic cave paintings did not appear for another 35,000 years and written language was not developed until 3,000 years ago,we can conclude that:

A) human thought and behaviour are completely determined by the structure of the brain.
B) human cognitive and linguistic skills have continued to develop even though the structure of the brain has remained basically the same.
C) the human brain has evolved significantly over the past 50,000 years.
D) cognitive and linguistic skills are unrelated to the specialized characteristics of the human brain.

Question 7

According to your text,language has been called:

A) the jewel in the crown of cognition only.
B) the human essence only.
C) both the jewel in the crown of cognition and the human essence.
D) the star in the human constellation only.

Question 8

Symbols used in any given language are:

A) arbitrary.
B) structured.
C) syntactic.
D) fixed.

Question 9

The underlying meaning of combined symbols is referred to as ___________________.

A) surface structure
B) deep structure
C) syntax
D) semantics

Question 10

According to the text;images,ideas,concepts,and principles are all examples of:

A) heuristics.
B) prototypes.
C) morphemes.
D) mental representations.

Question 11

The term for the meaning of words is __________.

A) linguistics
B) phonics
C) semantics
D) syntax

Question 12

Surface structure is to deep structure as:

A) syntax is to semantics.
B) fluid intelligence is to crystallized intelligence.
C) algorithm is to heuristic.
D) achievement is to aptitude.

Question 13

According to the text,the development of language made it easier for humans to adapt to the:

A) increasingly complex social environment.
B) increasing needs of more intelligent offspring.
C) environmental challenges that followed significant climate changes.
D) greater pressure for accurate memory.

Question 14

The way symbols are combined within a given language refers to _______________.

A) surface structure
B) deep structure
C) semantics
D) syntax

Question 15

The concept that symbols can be combined to generate an infinite number of messages that have novel meaning demonstrates the _________ concept.

A) generativity
B) displacement
C) generality
D) replacement

Question 16

It is symbolic,it has structure,it has meaning,and it is generative.These are the four essential properties that define __________________.

A) language
B) a prototype
C) intelligence
D) cognition

Question 17

The fact that language is ___________ specifically means that it can be used to create an infinite number of messages that can have novel or new meanings.

A) symbolic
B) propositional
C) structural
D) generative

Question 18

Which characteristic of language allows us to use language to refer to the past,the future,and objects that are imaginary or not physically present?

A) generativity
B) meaning
C) displacement
D) structure

Question 19

The fact that language allows us to communicate about events and objects that are not physically present is referred to as ________________.

A) generativity
B) displacement
C) semantics
D) linguistics

Question 20

The rules that govern the organization of the surface structure of a language are called __________,whereas the rules that determine how symbols are connected to what they represent are called __________________.

A) syntax;heuristics
B) syntax;semantics
C) semantics;heuristics
D) semantics;syntax

Question 21

One of the arguments for the biological basis of language is that despite their differences at the ____________,all languages seem to have common underlying ____________.

A) phonemic level;structural characteristics
B) semantic level;phonemic structure
C) phonemic level;surface structure
D) semantic level;syntax

Question 22

According to the text,people at a farmer's market often mistakenly read a sign for a "Bead Store" as a sign for a "Bread Store." They thought this store was selling food items,like the other stores in the market.This example best demonstrates the effects of:

A) top-down processing,based on context and expectations.
B) bottom-up processing,based on phonemes and morphemes.
C) poor reading skills.
D) poor speech segmentation skills.

Question 23

The word "boys" contains:

A) 1 phoneme
B) 1 morpheme
C) 2 phonemes
D) 2 morphemes

Question 24

In every language,the rules determine how ___________ can be combined to create morphemes.

A) syntax
B) words
C) phonemes
D) symbols

Question 25

Sensory information is interpreted in light of existing knowledge in ______________ processing.

A) psycholinguistic
B) semantic
C) bottom-up
D) top-down

Question 26

The fact that both Japanese and English (although very different)share some common structural features is evidence for a _______________ perspective on language.

A) biological
B) social learning
C) psychodynamic
D) humanistic

Question 27

Research on stroke victims suggests that females utilize the language function in:

A) the right hemisphere more than do males.
B) the left hemisphere more than do males.
C) both hemispheres more than do males.
D) equally in both hemispheres as males.

Question 28

The ways that symbols are combined within that language refers to the ____________ of a language,whereas the underlying meaning of these symbols refers to ___________.

A) syntax;surface structure
B) deep structure;surface structure
C) surface structure;deep structure
D) surface structure;syntax

Question 29

The brain region centrally involved in language production and articulation is called:

A) pons.
B) Broca's area.
C) Wernicke's area.
D) medulla.

Question 30

Depending on the social context,"Do you have the time?" could mean "Are you busy right now?" or "What time is it?" The knowledge that helps you decide how to respond to this question is called:

A) syntax.
B) semantics.
C) pragmatics.
D) bottom-up processing.

Question 31

Men who have had left-hemisphere strokes are more likely to show severe aphasic symptoms than women who have had left-hemisphere strokes.This evidence suggests that:

A) in men,language functions appear to be localized in both the left and right hemispheres.
B) in men,language functions appear to be localized in the right hemisphere only.
C) in women,language functions appear to be localized in both the left and right hemispheres.
D) in women,language functions appear to be localized in the left hemisphere only.

Question 32

An acquaintance of yours has suffered a stroke and as a result,the person can no longer produce meaningful speech.Research suggests that which of the following is most likely? Your acquaintance is:

A) male and the stroke was in the left hemisphere.
B) male and the stroke was in the right hemisphere.
C) female and the stroke was in the left hemisphere.
D) female and the stroke was in the right hemisphere.

Question 33

Individual elements of a stimulus are analyzed and then combined to form a unified perception in _____________ processing.

A) psycholinguistic
B) sensory
C) bottom-up
D) top-down

Question 34

Knowledge of the practical aspects of using a language is called:

A) semantics
B) linguistics
C) grammatics
D) pragmatics

Question 35

The area located in the left hemisphere's frontal lobe,most certainly involved in word production and articulation is known as the ________ area,and in the rear portion of the temporal lobe,is the area more centrally involved in speech comprehension called the ___________ area.

A) cortex;Broca's
B) cortex;Wernicke's
C) Wernicke's;Broca's
D) Broca's;Wernicke's

Question 36

The ability to perceive where each word within a spoken sentence begins and ends is provided by the process of _______________.

A) pragmatics
B) semantics
C) speech segmentation
D) psycholinguistics

Question 37

Perceiving where each word within a spoken sentence begins and ends is a __________ process known as __________.

A) bottom-up;speech segmentation
B) bottom-up;speech intervals
C) top-down;speech segmentation
D) top-down;speech intervals

Question 38

The impairment in speech comprehension and/or production as a result of damage in Broca's,Wernicke's,or both areas of the brain is called _________.

A) agnosia
B) aphasia
C) dyslexia
D) disarticulation

Question 39

Language by its very nature requires _________ processing.

A) psycholinguistic
B) semantic
C) bottom-up
D) top-down

Question 40

Phoneme is to morpheme as:

A) displacement is to discourse.
B) semantics are to syntax.
C) sound is to meaning.
D) deep structure is to shallow structure.

Question 41

When performing a cognitive task in which the person must inhibit attention to an irrelevant feature and pay attention to another feature,__________ typically perform better than __________.

A) bilinguals;monolinguals
B) monolinguals;bilinguals
C) males;females
D) females;males

Question 42

According to Noam Chomsky,humans have an innate biological mechanism that contains general grammatical rules called a language ______________.

A) function system
B) acquisition device
C) generation region
D) conditioning module

Question 43

The fact that at 6 months of age young children begin to discriminate only those sounds that are specific to their native language,whereas they were previously able to perceive the entire range of phonemes found in the world's languages,is considered as evidence that:

A) learning interacts with biology during language acquisition.
B) childhood language development can be viewed as a special case of the representativeness heuristic.
C) language skills develop in parallel with auditory abilities.
D) the formation of mental representations influences language development.

Question 44

Positive correlates of bilingualism do NOT include:

A) greater flexibility in thinking
B) better performance on standardized intelligence tests
C) larger frontal lobes
D) greater skill at selectively focusing attention

Question 45

Children typically begin one-word utterances that are recognizable words that name familiar people and objects (e.g. ,da-da or block)around the age of ____________ months.

A) 6
B) 12
C) 24
D) 36

Question 46

Superior cognitive processing was specifically mentioned as a benefit of:

A) convergent thinking.
B) early language instruction in infancy.
C) being bilingual.
D) sign language.

Question 47

While at the park,25-month-old Suzy points to the swing set and says,"Push swing!" After she has had enough and wants to leave,she turns to her father and says,"Go car." Utterances such as these are called:

A) baby talk.
B) telegraphic speech.
C) child-directed speech.
D) child-speak.

Question 48

Researchers exploring a possible critical period for learning a second language examine "early" versus "late" second-language learners:

A) because language learning is sensitive to time of day.
B) to control for cohort effects.
C) to control for gender differences.
D) because "age of acquisition" can easily be confounded with "years of exposure and practice."

Question 49

Bilingual children perform better than monolingual children on perceptual tasks that involve ignoring some features of objects (such as colour)and selectively focusing on other features (such as shape).This difference may appear because:

A) bilingual children are able to think more flexibly.
B) bilingual children become skilled at selective focus of attention.
C) monolingual children can only perceive features that their language has words for.
D) monolingual children perform better on tests of nonverbal intelligence.

Question 50

Which of the following statements best describes the relative contributions of biological factors and the social environment on children's language acquisition? Language acquisition:

A) is a preprogrammed biological process that occurs with little input from the social environment.
B) is a preprogrammed biological process that requires input from the social environment for normal language development.
C) is a social learning process based solely on operant conditioning and imitation of adults.
D) processes differ markedly across different cultures.

Question 51

Studies in Switzerland,South Africa,Israel,and Canada suggest that greater thinking,flexibility,and higher performance on nonverbal intelligence tests is at least correlated with ____________________.

A) monolingualism
B) bilingualism
C) monolingualism and bilingualism
D) neither monolingualism nor bilingualism

Question 52

Before 6 months of age,infants around the world are able to perceive _______________,but at about 6 months of age they begin to discriminate _____________.

A) only 5 to 10 phonemes;only the phonemes associated with their native language
B) only the phonemes associated with their native language;the phonemes of all languages
C) only 5 to 10 phonemes;the phonemes of all languages
D) the phonemes of all languages;only the phonemes associated with their native language

Question 53

Compared with non-English speaking children who are placed in English-only classrooms and left to struggle,those in bilingual classes develop _____ self-esteem and exhibit ______ academic performance and English fluency.

A) lower;better
B) higher;better
C) lower;lower
D) neither higher nor lower;better

Question 54

Research on whether there is a sensitive period for acquiring a second language suggests that there is:

A) a sensitive period during childhood.
B) a sensitive period during middle adulthood.
C) a sensitive period during late adulthood.
D) no such sensitive period.

Question 55

A 45-year-old father and his 8-year-old son,who are both native Chinese speakers,immigrate to the United States.The father and son are equally poor at speaking and understanding English when they arrive.Assuming they experience similar amounts of exposure to the English language,which of the following is most likely to occur? The:

A) father will become more proficient at speaking English than the son.
B) son will become more proficient at speaking English than the father.
C) father and son will become proficient at speaking English at equivalent rates.
D) father will become more proficient at speaking English,whereas the son will become more proficient at understanding English.

Question 56

That fact that language-deprived children are generally unable to acquire normal language skills when they are found past puberty is most relevant to which of the following?

A) lateralization
B) sensitive periods
C) displacement
D) reaction range

Question 57

Research on learning a second language:

A) has proven that the critical period for learning a second language ends around age 8.
B) has proven that the critical period for learning a second language ends at the onset of puberty.
C) suggests there is at least a sensitive period for learning a second language,but when the sensitive period ends is unclear.
D) suggests that neither sensitive nor critical period exists for learning a second language.

Question 58

Juan's parents recently immigrated to Ontario from South America and they are getting ready to send him to school where he will have to learn both English and educational content.Because Juan only speaks Spanish,research indicates that he will perform best if he is placed in a(n)____________ classroom.

A) English-only
B) Spanish-only
C) language only
D) bilingual

Question 59

All of the following are reasons why operant conditioning cannot completely account for language acquisition EXCEPT:

A) children learn language too quickly.
B) parents typically do not correct their children's grammar.
C) parents typically correct 'truth value' in children's speech.
D) children respond to punishment of errors rather than reinforcement of correct speech.

Question 60

Most contemporary psycholinguists believe that operant conditioning:

A) accounts for all of language acquisition.
B) accounts for most of language acquisition.
C) cannot completely account for language acquisition.
D) together with classical conditioning accounts for language acquisition.

Question 61

The fact that children from Asian countries frequently perform better on mathematical tests in comparison to English-speaking children is evidence in support of which of the following?

A) Whorf's linguistic relatively hypothesis
B) Chomsky's language acquisition device
C) the influence of language on thought
D) inductive reasoning

Question 62

According to the text,a gorilla named Koko learned over _______ signs.

A) 100
B) 200
C) 400
D) 600

Question 63

A mental representation of the way ice cream tastes is an example of _____,whereas the expression "I wish I had some ice cream right now" is an example of _____.

A) propositional thought;motoric thought
B) motoric thought;imaginal thought
C) imaginal thought;propositional thought
D) propositional thought;imaginal thought

Question 64

The hypothesis that suggests that language not only influences but also determines what we are capable of thinking is called the ______________ hypothesis.

A) concept determinism
B) cross cultural consistency
C) linguistic relativity
D) linguistic determinism

Question 65

People who learn a second language before the age of 10 and are able to speak both languages fluently are most likely to have:

A) completely separate neural networks for each language.
B) distinct but overlapping neural networks for each language.
C) difficulty in keeping the two languages separate.
D) a common neural network for both languages.

Question 66

Evidence for structure when primates use human language is:

A) conclusive.
B) very strong.
C) controversial.
D) nonexistent.

Question 67

Despite their original intentions,researchers working with the chimp __________ eventually concluded that chimpanzees are NOT capable of exhibiting true language.

A) Koko
B) Nim Chimpsky
C) Washoe
D) Kanzi

Question 68

Which of the following aspects of human language has the strongest support in primates?

A) symbolism
B) structure
C) generativity
D) displacement

Question 69

Researchers generally agree that the language skills that chimps demonstrate meet the _____________ criteria/criterion of language but there is still much disagreement and debate as to whether or not the speech of chimps is __________________.

A) generative;symbolic
B) symbolic;structural or generative
C) generative and symbolic;structural
D) structural;symbolic or generative

Question 70

You become a zookeeper's assistant,assigned to care for a gorilla,and decide to train him to use sign language.If you were a really good teacher,you might expect that he could learn up to several ___________ of words.

A) tens
B) hundreds
C) thousands
D) ten thousands

Question 71

In brain-imaging studies of bilinguals,is the second language represented the same way in the brain as the first language?

A) yes
B) no
C) it depends on the language
D) it depends on when the language was learned

Question 72

Eleanor Rosch (1973)studied the Dani people from New Guinea who had only two words for colour: one for bright colours and one for dark colours.Her results revealed that the Dani were capable of distinguishing the difference between _______________ colours,providing evidence that ___________ the linguistic relativity hypothesis.

A) only a few;supported
B) only a few;contradicted
C) a wide assortment of;supported
D) a wide assortment of;contradicted

Question 73

The extreme position that language not only influences but determines what we are capable of thinking is known as the:

A) linguistic relativity hypothesis.
B) triarchic theory of language.
C) comparative theory of language.
D) theory of linguistic determinism.

Question 74

If a gender-stereotyped job advertisement influenced your desire to apply for the job,it would be evidence for the _____________ hypothesis.

A) linguistic determinism
B) linguistic relativity
C) language concentrism
D) language sociology

Question 75

Today,most linguists do not agree with Benjamin Lee Whorf's linguistic relativity hypothesis and instead argue that language ___________ the basic aspects of perception and thought.

A) undermines
B) merely reflects
C) determines
D) establishes

Question 76

Thinking of the action of dribbling a basketball is an example of __________ thought.

A) propositional
B) imaginal
C) motoric
D) situational

Question 77

In their most basic form,statements expressing facts and consisting of concepts that are combined in a particular way are called _______________.

A) heuristics
B) belief biases
C) propositions
D) mental representations

Question 78

Evidence suggests that Whorf's original linguistic relativity hypothesis was:

A) very accurate.
B) completely inaccurate.
C) overstated.
D) true only for Western cultures.

Question 79

Research suggests that some:

A) chimpanzees have "local dialects."
B) honeybees have sensitive periods.
C) songbirds have both "local dialects" and sensitive periods.
D) dolphins have "local dialects."

Question 80

Your friend was raised in Hong Kong and speaks fluent Chinese.It might not be surprising that he was able to grasp many mathematical principles at an early age because of the symbolic nature of the Chinese language.This situation would be consistent with the:

A) confirmation bias.
B) linguistic relativity hypothesis.
C) algorithm hypothesis.
D) intelligence hypothesis.