Deck 8: Language, thinking, and Intelligence

Question 1

According to the text,what is the primary mode of communication among humans?

A) Nonverbal behavior
B) Speech
C) Language
D) Vocalization

Answer 1

Language

Question 2

Which theory of language development contends that normal development proceeds according to an inborn program that is not significantly influenced by environmental factors?

A) Behaviorist
B) Cognitive
C) Nativist
D) Interactionist

Answer 2

Nativist

Question 3

Contrary to earlier behaviorist assumptions,____ principles do not play the primary role in language development.

A) classical conditioning
B) operant conditioning
C) observational learning
D) maintenance rehearsal

Answer 3

operant conditioning

Question 4

Which of the following appears to be involved when we use the grammatical rules of a language in both producing and comprehending sentences?

A) Wernicke's area
B) Phonetic area
C) Broca's area
D) Semantic area

Question 5

Due to the influence of ____,until about 1960 most psychologists assumed that the development of language ability in children was simply a learned response.

A) psychoanalysis
B) cognitive theory
C) psycholinguistics
D) behaviorism

Question 6

Who proposed that humans are born with specialized brain structures or neural prewiring that facilitate the learning of language?

A) Benjamin Lee Whorf
B) Siobhan Holowka and Laura-Ann Petitto
C) Noam Chomsky
D) Lev Vygotsky

Question 7

Genetic research suggests that roughly 200,000 years ago,mutations in the ____ gene may have caused changes in the brains of archaic Homo sapiens,providing them with much finer control over their mouth and throat muscles.

A) FOXO2
B) FOXO1
C) FOXP2
D) FOXE3

Question 8

Human brains have been shaped to facilitate reflective thought and imagery,abilities essential for complex decision making and problem solving.From this perspective,language use evolved as a means of facilitating the construction of an inner reality that we call ____.

A) cognitive significance
B) social
C) consciousness
D) behavioral

Question 9

The sending and receiving of information is known as ____.

A) language
B) cognition
C) communication
D) speech

Question 10

A systematic way of communicating information using symbols and rules for combining them is known as ____.

A) communication
B) cognition
C) language
D) speech

Question 11

Which theory contends that human language is the product of a very long period of biological evolution,spanning millions of years?

A) Cognitive theory
B) Gradual increase theory
C) Threshold theory
D) Pinker's theory

Question 12

The theory of language evolution that contends that human language is more a product of sudden cultural evolution is called ____.

A) threshold theory
B) acquisition theory
C) continuum theory
D) gradual increase theory

Question 13

A small clump of neurons near the front of the brain influences brain areas that control muscles of the lips,jaw,tongue,soft palate,and vocal cords during speech.What is this area of the brain called?

A) Wernicke's area
B) Broca's area
C) Semantic area
D) Phonetic area

Question 14

The ____ appears to be responsible for the comprehension of speech.

A) Broca's area
B) Wernicke's area
C) semantic area
D) phonetic area

Question 15

According to Chomsky's linguistic theory,an innate mechanism that facilitates the learning of language is known as the ____.

A) language comprehension device
B) language acquisition device
C) language development device
D) language transformation device

Question 16

The oral expression of language is known as ____.

A) discourse
B) cognition
C) communication
D) speech

Question 17

The rules used in language to combine words into sentences is known as ____.

A) grammar
B) language
C) syntax
D) semantics

Question 18

Recent genetic testing of different animal species provides evidence bolstering the ____ theory.

A) threshold
B) gradual increase
C) acquisition
D) cognitive

Question 19

Proponents of the ____ theory believe that language is no older than 50,000 years and is closely tied to the development of tools,imagery,and art.

A) gradual increase
B) acquisition
C) deep structure
D) threshold

Question 20

Which of the following observations regarding behaviorism's language theory is incorrect?

A) People speak as they do because they have been reinforced for doing so.
B) Throughout the learning process,behaviorists assumed that children were relatively active.
C) Parents and other speakers were given credit for shaping their younger charges' utterances into intelligible words.
D) Behaviorism cannot explain how children often produce sentences they have never heard before.

Question 21

Between the fourth and sixth months,infants begin ____,in which they spontaneously repeat phoneme combinations like ahh-goo and baa-baa.

A) babbling
B) grunting
C) cooing
D) mewing

Question 22

Which of the following observations is NOT correct?

A) By three to five weeks of age,newborns begin a vocalization pattern known as cooing.
B) The early babbling of children from different cultures sounds the same.
C) The sequence of cooing and babbling does not occur among babies born deaf.
D) Between the fourth and sixth months,infants begin babbling.

Question 23

When children begin calling liquids by their specific names-for example,milk is no longer wawa,but milk-this is an application of the process of ____,which involves the creation of new schemas.

A) assimilation
B) internalization
C) symbolism
D) accommodation

Question 24

The current dominant view of language development reflects the ____ approach.

A) behaviorist
B) cognitivist
C) nativist
D) interactionist

Question 25

The smallest sound significant unit of speech is called a ____.

A) syntax
B) phoneme
C) morpheme
D) syllable

Question 26

Eighteen-month-old Jenny uses the word wawa whenever she is thirsty.She uses this not only for water,but also for milk,juice,and any other liquid.What is this type of word usage known as?

A) Internalization
B) Overextension
C) Substitution
D) Application

Question 27

When young children use the word doggie for cats and horses,as well as dogs,this is called ____,and is an application of the process of ____ to children's words.

A) telegraphic speech;accommodation
B) telegraphic speech;assimilation
C) overextension;accommodation
D) overextension;assimilation

Question 28

Which perspective emphasizes that while children may have an innate capacity for language,they cannot acquire it until they are immersed within social conversation with adults?

A) Language acquisition
B) Operant conditioning
C) Cognitive significance
D) Social interactionist

Question 29

At about one year of age,most children begin uttering morpheme sounds that can be identified as words.What is this period in language acquisition typically called?

A) Phoneme stage
B) One-word stage
C) Cookie stage
D) Neobabbling stage

Question 30

In every culture throughout the world,language development begins with children using primitive-sounding ____.

A) morphemes
B) phonemes
C) clicks
D) guttural noises

Question 31

How many morphemes are contained in the word tourists?

A) One
B) Two
C) Three
D) Four

Question 32

Studies have found that supportive social interaction with competent language users appear to be ____ in the development of language.

A) critical
B) secondary
C) unnecessary
D) generally helpful

Question 33

What occurs between an infant's fourth and sixth month of life?

A) The infant can read lips and distinguish between the morphemes that comprise words.
B) The infant begins using primitive-sounding phonemes.
C) The infant can read lips and distinguish between the phonemes that comprise their language.
D) The infant can use telegraphic speech.

Question 34

By 3 to 5 weeks of age,newborns begin a vocalization pattern known as ____,in which they produce phoneme sounds such as ooooh and aaaah.

A) grunting
B) mewing
C) babbling
D) cooing

Question 35

One prominent theory in the interactionist area is the social interactionist perspective,which is strongly influenced by ____ writings.

A) Benjamin Lee Whorf's
B) Abraham Luchins's
C) Noam Chomsky's
D) Lev Vygotsky's

Question 36

How many phonemes are contained in the word "men?"

A) One
B) Two
C) Three
D) Four

Question 37

The smallest unit of language that carries meaning is known as a ____.

A) phoneme
B) syllable
C) morpheme
D) consonant

Question 38

When do children typically start to utter morpheme sounds?

A) At the age of two
B) At around 18 months of age
C) They start to utter morphemes by one year of age.
D) They start to utter morphemes by 3 to 5 years of age.

Question 39

In assessing these different perspectives on language acquisition,the general consensus is that behaviorists place too much emphasis on ____,while nativists don't give enough credit to ____.

A) conditioning principles;environmental influences
B) conditioning principles;biological influences
C) biological influences;environmental influences
D) social interaction;conditioning principles

Question 40

Which language development perspective contends that both environmental and biological factors play a role in affecting the course of language development?

A) Behaviorist
B) Interactionist
C) Nativist
D) Cognitive

Question 41

Why does the early babbling of children from different cultures sound the same?

A) It sounds the same because early babbling includes the phonemes in all existing languages.
B) It sounds the same because all cultures use exactly the same phonemes in their languages.
C) It sounds the same because adults cannot perceive the subtle differences in children's early babbling.
D) It sounds the same because morphemes,not phonemes,are specific to culture.

Question 42

At what stage does babbling take on a culture-specific sound?

A) During the phoneme stage of language development
B) During the single-word stage of language development
C) At around 10 months of age
D) At around the age of two

Question 43

During childhood,we learn about ____ words per year.

A) 5,000
B) 10,000
C) 15,000
D) 20,000

Question 44

Although the hypothesis that language determines thought in some sort of lockstep fashion has no empirical support,most psychologists do believe in a weaker version of Whorf's hypothesis,that ____.

A) the structure of language determines the structure of thought
B) thought is relative to the particular language used
C) language shapes your conception of reality
D) language can influence thinking

Question 45

When one concept in our long-term memory is activated,other closely related concepts are also activated,or ____.

A) recalled
B) primed
C) formed
D) categorized

Question 46

The best feedback that adults can provide to children during their language development is characterized by exaggerated intonations,high pitch,repetition,and slow speech known collectively as ____.

A) child-directed speech
B) parentese
C) adult-directed speech
D) Both a and b

Question 47

Non-native Spanish speakers often have difficulty rolling the "rr" consonant.Why does this most likely occur?

A) This phoneme may not exist in the speaker's language,so he or she has difficulty with this novel pronunciation.
B) This morpheme may not exist in the speaker's language,which might make pronunciation difficult.
C) The syntactical structure has no meaning to the non-native speaker who needs to develop an association with this consonant to his or her native language.
D) Those who learn to speak Spanish learn a different grammar and,therefore,have difficulty differentiating between a rolled "r" and the "r" sound of their native language.

Question 48

According to Whorf's linguistic relativity hypothesis ____.

A) perception determines language
B) language determines thinking
C) thinking determines language
D) perception determines thinking

Question 49

Signs with the words "Men Working" and references to "Mankind" are examples of the ____.

A) generic masculine
B) appositive
C) generalizability of gender
D) neutral pronoun

Question 50

The problem with forming concepts by definition is that many familiar concepts have ____.

A) no prototype
B) fuzzy boundaries
C) assimilation problems
D) algorithms

Question 51

A mental grouping of objects,ideas,or events that share common properties is called a ____.

A) prototype
B) taxonomy
C) concept
D) schema

Question 52

Linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf's ____ proposed that the structure of language determines the structure of thought.

A) cognitive consciousness
B) linguistic relativity hypothesis
C) language acquisition theory
D) social interactionist theory

Question 53

The linguistic relativity hypothesis implies that if language shapes reality,then ____.

A) all cultures share the same understanding of the world.
B) cultural differences are shaped by evolution.
C) no two cultures share the same understanding of the world.
D) biological and environmental factors shape the development of language.

Question 54

A difference between individualists and collectivists in their language style is that ____.

A) individualists speak indirectly about their needs
B) collectivists use interpersonally focused words
C) individualists often look for hidden meaning in others' speech
D) collectivists expect others to speak directly

Question 55

Identify the phase that begins during the two-word stage,in which children use multiple-word sentences that leave out all but the essential words.

A) Sentence initiation
B) Monologue
C) Conversation semblance
D) Telegraphic speech

Question 56

Which of the following is a language rooted in an individualist cultural context?

A) English
B) Japanese
C) Chinese
D) Both b and c

Question 57

Why do children use the past tense verbs incorrectly (i.e. ,"Mom goed to work" or "I rided my bike")?

A) Children learn from their environment,and if they are around other children who speak incorrectly,they will imitate their peers.
B) Children often overgeneralize grammatical rules,including those for the present and past tense.
C) Children often do not hear the necessary feedback for correct usage until they reach school age.
D) Children do not understand the present and past tense of verbs,so they initially ignore feedback until they have assimilated existing schemas.

Question 58

Which of the following stages occurs at the age of 2?

A) One-word stage
B) Two-word stage
C) Sentence stage
D) Phrase stage

Question 59

Whenever she wants to go outside,Anne,a two-year-old child says "want outside" instead of saying "I want to go outside." Which phase of language development is discussed in this example?

A) Conversation semblance
B) Telegraphic speech
C) Monologue
D) Precis speech

Question 60

Cognition is known as ____.

A) the stochastic activity of comprehension and the acquisition of knowledge through external structures
B) knowledge that is acquired through the senses and applied to stimuli within the environment
C) the mental activity of knowing and the processes through which knowledge is acquired and problems solved
D) one's problem solving ability and synthesis of information presented within one's environment

Question 61

The influence that mental set can have on problem solving was first demonstrated by ____ in his "water-jar" problems study.

A) Lev Vygotsky
B) Abraham Luchins
C) Noam Chomsky
D) Benjamin Lee Whorf

Question 62

The tendency to seek information that supports our beliefs,while ignoring disconfirming information is known as the ____.

A) self-fulfilling prophecy
B) functional fixedness trap
C) confirmation bias
D) subject confounding effect

Question 63

The tendency to continue using solutions that have worked in the past,even though better alternatives may exist is known as ____.

A) functional fixedness
B) mental set
C) confirmation bias
D) error tendency

Question 64

A major disadvantage to the problem solving techniques of trial and error and algorithms is that they are ____.

A) not always successful
B) time intensive
C) flexible
D) None of the above

Question 65

How do we form concepts?

A) Through the process of internalization
B) By identifying defining features
C) By identifying past errors
D) From experience

Question 66

Why is categorization adaptive?

A) It saves time and helps in making predictions about the future.
B) It maintains existing schemas even when novel information is encountered.
C) It fosters cooperation in social groups.
D) It organizes our perceptions into a meaningful whole,called a Gestalt.

Question 67

What is the chief advantage of heuristics?

A) They are used in computers.
B) They guarantee success.
C) They usually save time.
D) Both b and c

Question 68

According to the text,____ is the thought process you engage in to overcome obstacles in order to attain your goals.

A) problem-solving
B) prototyping
C) assimilation
D) critical analysis

Question 69

A problem-solving strategy that involves following a general rule of thumb to reduce the number of solutions is known as ____.

A) trial and error
B) a heuristic
C) an algorithm
D) cognitive mapping

Question 70

Despite having various strategies to solve problems,psychologists have identified a number of cognitive tendencies that act as barriers to problem solving.Which of the following is NOT a common internal obstacle?

A) Mental set
B) Confirmation bias
C) Functional fixedness
D) Social desirability bias

Question 71

A problem-solving strategy that involves trying one possible solution after another until one works is called ____.

A) trial and error
B) a heuristic
C) insight
D) simulation

Question 72

The process of forming concepts is known as ____.

A) categorization
B) cognition
C) prototyping
D) structuring

Question 73

When scientists set out to find evidence to support their hypotheses,they need to be careful about falling prey to which problem-solving obstacle?

A) Confirmation bias
B) A logical fallacy
C) Mental set
D) Functional fixedness

Question 74

A problem-solving strategy that involves a sudden realization of how a problem can be solved is known as ____.

A) enlightenment
B) insight
C) perspective
D) comprehension

Question 75

Like the heart that pumps life-giving blood throughout the body,or the lungs that replenish oxygen to this blood,the general scientific consensus is that humans could not survive without engaging in ____.

A) internalization
B) assimilation
C) categorization
D) accommodation

Question 76

The most representative member of a concept is known as a ____.

A) fixed-concept
B) prototype
C) depiction
D) modal type

Question 77

A problem-solving strategy which involves following a specific rule or step-by-step procedure until you inevitably produce the correct solution is known as ____.

A) trial and error
B) an algorithm
C) a heuristic
D) cognitive map

Question 78

Craig is a reporter who needs to interview high school students for an article.He decides that the best place to find students to interview on a weekend is at the local mall.The problem solving strategy that Craig used to locate students is called a(n)____.

A) algorithm
B) heuristic
C) categorization process
D) confirmation bias

Question 79

Computers are based on ____,and that is the reason they are inflexible in their functioning.

A) trial and error approach
B) logarithms
C) cognitive mapping
D) algorithms

Question 80

Which of the following is a correct observation?

A) Heuristics guarantee success.
B) Algorithms guarantee success.
C) The trial and error approach is fast and efficient.
D) The trial and error approach guarantees success.