Deck 9: Language and Thought

Question 1

Define language,describe how we learn languages,describe parts of the brain that are involved in language,and discuss differences and problems that can affect people's language skills.

Answer 1

-Language is a set of symbols used to communicate.Language comprehension understands verbal messages,and language production is creating them.
-The study of language can be broken into phonology (sounds),semantics (meaning),syntax (grammar),and pragmatics (practical usage).
-Most people follow a typical sequence of language acquisition that includes the ability to distinguish,but not produce,all possible phonemes at about 2 to 4 months of age,babbling at about 6 months,and speaking first words at around 1 year of age.
-The standard way we learn language suggests that we have an inborn capacity for language learning,although environment contributes as well.There appears be a sensitive or critical period before about 13 years old when it is easiest to acquire language.
-In most people,the language centres in the brain are in the left hemisphere.The main brain region important for speech production is Broca's area.The main region for language comprehension is called Wernicke's area.Several other areas of the brain are also active in language,including the frontal eye fields when we read.
-There are small average gender differences in early language learning,with girls initially learning faster.These differences disappear with time.

Question 2

Insight typically follows periods during which we mentally "set aside" a problem.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Pragmatics refers to the practical use of language.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Describe and summarize research on thinking processes,including problem solving,decision making,and metacognition.

Question 5

Language can be spoken,signed,or written.

Question 6

The use of heuristics is a "best guess" that does NOT guarantee a solution.

Question 7

Evidence for the linguistic relativity hypothesis has been derived from cross-cultural studies.

Question 8

Most younger adults score higher than older adults on tests of vocabulary.

Question 9

Reduced ability in planning is associated with dysexecutive syndrome.

Question 10

Child-directed speech is observed when parents communicate using sign language.

Question 11

Controlled processing requires less attention than automatic processing.

Question 12

Wernicke's area is located in the left temporal lobe.

Question 13

When individuals read words that evoke odours,the smell-related portions of the brain become active.

Question 14

People often ignore probability information when they make assumptions using the representativeness heuristic.

Question 15

Individuals are more likely to find successful solution strategies for well-defined problems.

Question 16

The "string problem" is a classic example of functional fixedness.

Question 17

Spatial thinking is an example of mental imagery.

Question 18

Describe how thought and language are related and summarize the linguistic relativity hypothesis.

Question 19

Sign language activates Broca's and Wernicke's areas in persons with intact brains.

Question 20

As gesturing is learned through direct observation,persons who are blind do NOT use gestures.

Question 21

Phonology is the study of

A) non-verbal communication.
B) meaning.
C) word order.
D) speech sounds.

Question 22

Vocal learning occurs in all the following EXCEPT ___.

A) non-human primates
B) bats
C) dolphins
D) songbirds

Question 23

Humans rarely rely on "gut instinct" during decision making.

Question 24

How many phonemes does the English language have?

A) approximately 30
B) exactly26
C) approximately 40
D) approximately 50

Question 25

Which of the following alternatives best expresses the relationships among non-verbal communication,pragmatics,and gesturing?

A) The terms are synonymous and used interchangeably.
B) Non-verbal communication includes pragmatics and gesturing.
C) Pragmatics includes non-verbal communication, which is synonymous with gesturing.
D) Pragmatics includes non-verbal communication and gesturing.

Question 26

How many morphemes does the word firefighters contain?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 4
D) 9

Question 27

Which element of language below is matched with the most appropriate area of language study?

A) -ing - semantics
B) /k/ - syntax
C) Melody stirred cream into her coffee - phonology
D) desk - morphology

Question 28

Which of the following areas refers to the meaning of words?

A) phonology
B) semantics
C) morphology
D) pragmatics

Question 29

When linguists and psychologists say that language is "generative," they mean that it is

A) creative.
B) innate.
C) complex.
D) symbolic.

Question 30

Which component of language below is correctly matched to its description?

A) pragmatics - social communication
B) syntax - speech sounds
C) semantics - word order
D) phoneme - meaning

Question 31

A morpheme is defined as

A) the smallest unit of sound in a language.
B) the smallest unit of a language that conveys meaning.
C) the dictionary meaning of a word.
D) speech that consists of minimalistic sentences.

Question 32

Rocco's parrot,Kiwi,can say about 50 words and phrases.Based on the discussion in your textbook,does Kiwi have language? Why or why NOT?

A) Yes, because Kiwi has learned enough words to communicate.
B) Yes, if he has learned some phrases he can generate speech.
C) Yes, because he is obviously able to express his thoughts.
D) No, there is more to language that mimicking words and phrases.

Question 33

Compulsions are uncontrollable,anxiety-provoking thoughts.

Question 34

The smallest units of a language that convey meaning is a

A) phoneme.
B) morpheme.
C) grapheme.
D) lexical meaning.

Question 35

Language is defined as

A) a set of symbols used to communicate.
B) a system of symbols and rules for combining the symbols.
C) a communicative system that is used to convey one's thoughts or feelings.
D) a written or verbal expression or thought.

Question 36

In written language,letters most closely represent ___,whereas sentences may be said to reflect ___.

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

Question 37

With a mouth full of popcorn,Roger asks his mother for a drink.Even though his request is NOT clear,his mother hands him a drink of water.Which of the following statements best explains Roger's mother's ability to understand what he was saying?

A) Unclear speech can be comprehended if a person concentrates hard enough.
B) Unless Roger had a lisp, accent, or speech impediment, it would not be difficult to understand him.
C) Language comprehension is mostly automatic, so we are able to understand speech even when it is unclear.
D) His mother used other cues such as the bowl of popcorn to guess what Roger wanted.

Question 38

A set of symbols used to communicate is also known as

A) language.
B) non-verbal communication.
C) pragmatics.
D) semantics.

Question 39

Negative self-reflection leads to improved self-esteem.

Question 40

Which component of language is correctly matched with its usual representation in written language?

A) syntax - syllable or word
B) phoneme - letter
C) morpheme - sentence
D) semantics - letter

Question 41

When an infant begins to make non-crying vocalizations that consist mainly of vowel sounds,this is called

A) babbling.
B) telegraphic speech.
C) prevocal learning.
D) cooing.

Question 42

When an infant is capable of perceiving the phonemes in every language,they are in the ___ stage.

A) babbling
B) telegraphic speech
C) prevocal learning
D) cooing

Question 43

Chandran received his paper back from his English teacher,Ms.Li.She informed him that adverbs follow the verbs they modify in sentence order.What level of language analysis does this represent?

A) syntax
B) semantics
C) morphology
D) pragmatics

Question 44

Corinne and Maia are text messaging back and forth.Although Maia's latest message is clear,Corinne CANNOT tell if her friend is angry with her or NOT.Which of the following would be missing in a text message that would be present during face-to-face conversation?

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

Question 45

Jadine is born in China and hears nothing but Mandarin Chinese for the first 4 months of her life.At that point,she is adopted by a Canadian couple.Which of the following statements best describes Jadine's ability to learn English?

A) Jadine will learn English in the same way other Canadian children would.
B) Jadine will learn English, but will be slightly delayed as she will be accustomed to Chinese phonemes.
C) Jadine will be able to learn English, but will also speak Chinese due to the early exposure to Chinese phonemes.
D) Jadine will have great difficulty learning English because she would already have lost her ability to distinguish English phonemes.

Question 46

The biological approach to language development is associated with

A) B. F. Skinner.
B) Benjamin Whorf.
C) Noam Chomsky.
D) Amos Tversky.

Question 47

Which of the following sequences correctly orders the components of language,from the smallest or most specific to the broadest?

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

Question 48

Anthony is 3 years old.Bryce is 4 years old.Which option best describes these boys' pragmatic and syntactic development?

A) Both boys display some syntactic sophistication. Bryce, though, has also developed some pragmatic skill.
B) Both boys display some pragmatic sophistication. Bryce, though, has also acquired many of the rules of grammar.
C) Both boys display sophisticated pragmatic and syntactic use of language.
D) Each of these boys has acquired only the rudiments of either pragmatics or syntax.

Question 49

You are creating a language development timeline for a class presentation.Along the top of a display board,you write the following ages in sequence: 3 months ? 6 months ? 1 year ? 2 years.How should you label these ages,from youngest to oldest?

A) prevocal learning ? babbling ? first words ? telegraphic speech
B) babbling ? prevocal learning ? first words ? telegraphic speech
C) babbling ? first words ? telegraphic speech ? pragmatic speech
D) prevocal learning ? first words ? telegraphic speech ? syntactic competence

Question 50

What is the relationship,if any,between language comprehension and language production among young children in the "first words" stage?

A) There is no systematic relationship between language comprehension and language production at this point: It varies from child to child.
B) Language comprehension generally exceeds language production at this stage.
C) Language comprehension generally lags language production at this stage.
D) Language comprehension ability is generally equivalent to language production ability at this point.

Question 51

As you are sitting in a restaurant,you are observing the other people sitting around you.Although you CANNOT hear them,you can tell that the couple in the corner are having an argument.What information might give you that information?

A) semantics
B) pragmatics
C) phonology
D) syntax

Question 52

The difference between a morpheme and a phoneme is that a morpheme is ___ and a phoneme is ___.

A) the system for using words; the system for using grammar
B) the dictionary meaning of a word; how the word sounds
C) practical aspects of language use; the non-verbal communication that occurs with language
D) the smallest unit of meaning in a language; the smallest unit of sound in a language

Question 53

A team of researchers computes correlation coefficients between family income and the number of words children hear each hour in the home and between family income and the ratio of affirmations to prohibitions that children hear.What sorts of coefficients are the researchers likely to find?

A) They should find a positive correlation between family income and the number of words children hear, but a near-zero correlation between family income and the ratio of affirmations to prohibitions that children hear.
B) They should find a near-zero correlation between family income and the number of words children hear, but a positive correlation between family income and the ratio of affirmations to prohibitions that children hear.
C) They should find near-zero correlations between family income and both the number of words children hear and the ratio of affirmations to prohibitions that they hear.
D) They should find positive correlations between family income and both the number of words children hear and the ratio of affirmations to prohibitions that they hear.

Question 54

Dorian is 18 months old; Constance is 3 years old.Dorian's vocabulary probably contains about ___ words.Constance's vocabulary contains about ___ words.

A) 50; 500
B) 100; 500
C) 50; 1000
D) 100; 1000

Question 55

Grammar is to meaning as ___ is to ___.

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

Question 56

By what age do normally-developing babies begin to babble?

A) approximately 1 month
B) approximately 3 months
C) approximately 6 months
D) approximately 9 months

Question 57

Carden believes that all babies are pre-programmed to learn language as evidenced by their natural ability to detect phonemes,and how rapidly they learn language.He has even gone so far as to suggest that our brains have built-in structures to allow us to acquire language.Which theorist would Carden's beliefs support?

A) B. F. Skinner
B) Naom Chomsky
C) Benjamin Whorf
D) Amos Tversky

Question 58

Gustav is an infant from Germany,Anthony is an infant from Canada,and Daichi is an infant from Japan.Which infant is likely to develop language first?

A) Gustav. Western European infants develop language about one month earlier than other infants.
B) Anthony. Canadian and American infants develop language about one month earlier than other infants.
C) Daichi. Asian infants develop language about one month earlier than other infants.
D) There is no way to predict. Most infants worldwide develop language at approximately the same rate.

Question 59

"Sophie kitty," Tara says,when her aunt asks her whether the stuffed animal belongs to her or to her sister.Tara's reply explains that the cat belongs to her sister and exemplifies ___ speech.

A) telegraphic
B) holographic
C) idiographic
D) agrammatic

Question 60

Tina is 6 months old; Vikrant is 1 year old; and Wayne is 2 years old.Which option below correctly pairs each child with the appropriate language development stage or phenomenon?

A) Tina - prevocal learning; Vikrant - babbling; Wayne - first words
B) Tina - babbling; Vikrant - telegraphic speech; Wayne - first words
C) Tina - prevocal learning; Vikrant - first words; Wayne - telegraphic speech
D) Tina - babbling; Vikrant - first words; Wayne - telegraphic speech

Question 61

Hattie has just sent a text message to her friend saying,"CU2nite".Her friend understands immediately that this means,"See you tonight".Based on the discussion in your text book,why does Hattie's friend understand this message so easily?

A) Hattie and her friend have been texting back and forth so much, they have developed their own language.
B) The text message uses the same phonemes as the full words, so it is processed automatically.
C) Most people can figure out these abbreviated versions of words if given enough time.
D) With the advent of technology, people are getting used to abbreviated words, so it has become like a language of its own.

Question 62

A time window in which certain influences are necessary for appropriate brain development is called a ___ period.A time window in which the brain is susceptible to certain influences is called a ___.

A) critical; sensitive period
B) critical; critical period as well
C) sensitive; sensitive period as well
D) sensitive; critical period

Question 63

The idea that language learning proceeds through a sensitive period is supported by

A) the finding that language processing is dedicated to specific brain regions.
B) the fact that animals cannot learn language.
C) the case of Genie.
D) the fact that low-income children hear far fewer words per hour than high-income children.

Question 64

What does a "critical period" in language development refer to?

A) period during which the brain is receptive to language learning
B) period during which children are proficient in their first language
C) period during which children must receive stimulation to learn language
D) period during which the brain forms neural connections for language learning

Question 65

Which of the following facts is correctly tagged with the extent to which it offers support for the learning theory approach to language development?

A) The more that parents speak to their young children, the more proficient the children become in language use-discredits learning theory approach.
B) Children are reinforced not only when they use language correctly, but also when they use it incorrectly-supports learning theory approach.
C) Psychologists have discovered specific genetic and brain mechanisms supporting language acquisition-irrelevant to learning theory approach.
D) Children make overregularization errors when formal grammar instruction begins-consistent with learning theory approach.

Question 66

Joan speaks to her infant son using high-pitched and exaggerated speech.Which type of speech is this an example of?

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

Question 67

Which of the following is an example of overregularization in language?

A) "I drinked all my milk."
B) "I always drink milk."
C) "Milk gone."
D) "All gone milk."

Question 68

Four-year-old Jimmy tells you he "runned fast but falled down." Jimmy's speech exemplifies ___; your text suggests that such errors provide evidence for the role of ___ in language development.

A) overregularization; biology
B) overregularization; learning
C) agrammaticism; biology
D) agrammaticism; learning

Question 69

Which of the following statements best captures your text's theoretical interpretation of child-directed speech?

A) Child-directed speech arises automatically, showing that we are biologically predisposed to structure the environment to aid children's language learning. In this way, child-directed speech is good evidence for an interactive perspective on language development.
B) Child-directed speech shows that we structure the environment to aid children's language development, thereby supporting the learning view of language acquisition.
C) Child-directed speech arises automatically, pointing to the biological basis of language development.
D) Child-directed speech is universal, appearing even among deaf parents using sign language. This suggests the biological basis of language development.

Question 70

The fact that all children engaged in communication,even children who are born deaf,develop some form of syntax which later matches the rules of their language supports which of the following statements on language development?

A) Children are biologically wired to learn language.
B) Children learn language through conditioning.
C) Children learn language through interactions with their social environment.
D) Children learn language through an interaction of biology and environment.

Question 71

Which of the following children,based on statistics alone,is likely to show the earliest language acquisition?

A) Fay, a little girl who comes from a low-income family
B) Thiago, a little boy who comes from a low-income family
C) Ji-min, a little girl who comes from a high-income family
D) Kobe, a little boy who comes from a high-income family

Question 72

Theorists taking an interactive approach to language development ___.

A) reject both the learning theory and biological approaches
B) agree that we are biologically hardwired to acquire language
C) downplay the role of the environment in language development
D) remain unconvinced by the idea of a language-acquisition device

Question 73

Which condition,resulting from damage to Broca's area,can produce an inability to speak using proper grammar?

A) Aphasia
B) Agraphia
C) Agrammatism
D) Agnosia

Question 74

Eight-month old Ryan has just said "dada" for the first time.His parents are so happy,they hug him and cheer for him.Ryan,also smiles and then says "dada" again.Whose theory of language development is supported by this example?

A) B. F. Skinner
B) Naom Chomsky
C) Benjamin Whorf
D) Amos Tversky

Question 75

Yuna is talking to her three-month old grandson.She is using a much slower paced speech than what she would use with another adult,and she is also using much more inflection and high-pitched sounds.Why is Yuna speaking this way?

A) Without more information we can only assume that she always speaks like this.
B) She has heard that babies hear high frequency sounds better than low frequency sounds.
C) She is using child-directed speech.
D) She doesn't want her grandson to grow up talking too quickly or low-pitched.

Question 76

According to your text,reading becomes an automatic process for most children around the age of ___.

A) 6
B) 7
C) 8
D) 9

Question 77

Based on research that examined the factors that influence language acquisition,which of the following children is likely to develop language the earliest?

A) Jenny, a little girl who comes from a low-income family
B) Uri, a little boy who comes from a low-income family
C) Ichika, a little girl who comes from a high-income family
D) Amir, a little boy who comes from a high-income family

Question 78

Which of the following is an example of overregularization in language?

A) "I runned so fast."
B) "I always drink juice."
C) "Dada up."
D) "All gone juice."

Question 79

When a child learns a new grammatical rule and then uses is inappropriately with an exceptional case,this is called

A) overextension.
B) child-directed speech.
C) overregularization.
D) agrammatism.

Question 80

Your text reports the case of a girl named Genie,who was exposed to virtually no language from the age of 20 months until the age of 13 years.In what way does Genie's case offer support for the notion of a critical period in language acquisition?

A) With intensive instruction, Genie acquired a sizeable vocabulary after the age of 13; moreover, she eventually mastered the rules of syntax.
B) Even with intensive instruction, Genie acquired only a very small vocabulary after the age of 13; furthermore, she never mastered the complexities of language.
C) Once she was no longer isolated, Genie acquired a sizeable vocabulary and eventually mastered the rules of syntax, even without intensive formal instruction.
D) Genie's case is irrelevant to the notion of a critical period.