Deck 8: B: Language and Thought

Question 1

A limited number of words may be combined into an infinite number of sentences. What does this tell you about language?

A)Language is structured.
B)Language is generative.
C)Language is semantic.
D)Language is symbolic.

Answer 1

Language is generative.

Question 2

Why was cognition, as a topic of study in psychology, somewhat ignored for many years?

A)It can't be studied in animals, so few researchers were interested.
B)The equipment that is necessary to image the brain was not developed yet.
C)Interest in psychodynamic theory dominated the field.
D)It is incredibly difficult to study thoughts, in a controlled manner.

Answer 2

It is incredibly difficult to study thoughts, in a controlled manner.

Question 3

How many phonemes are in the English language?

A)26
B)40
C)100
D)155

Answer 3

40

Question 4

Which type of psychologists focus on the topics of memory, problem solving, decision making, and language?

A)social psychologists
B)physiological psychologists
C)cognitive psychologists
D)clinical psychologists

Question 5

Rules exist that govern how words may be combined into phrases and sentences. What property of language is reflected by such rules?

A)Language is generative.
B)Language is semantic.
C)Language is structured.
D)Language is symbolic.

Question 6

Which area of language is concerned with understanding the meaning of words and word combinations?

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

Question 7

What are the smallest speech units in a language that can be distinguished perceptually?

A)sounds
B)morphemes
C)words
D)phonemes

Question 8

What is the same between the two sentences "The boy hit the ball" and "The ball was hit by the boy"?

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

Question 9

What is the same between the two sentences "Ari hit Boris" and "Boris hit Ari"?

A)semantics
B)syntax
C)morpheme structure
D)symbolic structure

Question 10

Which of the following is an example of the statement that 'language is semantic'?

A)The word 'dog' means the same thing as the word 'chien'.
B)I can use the word 'dog' to refer to an animal that isn't currently present.
C)I can use the word 'dog' to refer to a variety of different individual animals.
D)The phrase 'the dog bit the man' means something different than 'the man bit the dog'.

Question 11

What is the system of rules that specifies how words can be arranged into sentences in a language?

A)semantics
B)symbolic structure
C)morpheme structure
D)syntax

Question 12

When your classmate Sam says, "I never thought I'd say this, but I really enjoyed taking that psychology exam," which property of language does his statement best illustrate?

A)Language is structured.
B)Language is practical.
C)Language is generative.
D)Language is symbolic.

Question 13

Which of the following is an example of the statement that 'language is structured'?

A)The phrase 'the dog bit the man' means something different than 'the man bit the dog'.
B)I can use the word 'dog' to refer to a variety of different individual animals.
C)I can use the word 'dog' to refer to an animal that isn't currently present.
D)The word 'dog' can be used in a variety of novel sentences.

Question 14

What are the smallest units of meaning in a language?

A)phonemes
B)sounds
C)words
D)morphemes

Question 15

Your professor gives two separate grades for essay questions on exams; the first is for content or meaning, and the second is for grammar. What aspects of language are represented by the two grades?

A)The first is for semantics, and the second is for syntax.
B)The first is for syntax, and the second is for semantics.
C)The first is for morphemes, and the second is for phonemes.
D)The first is for phonemes, and the second is for morphemes.

Question 16

Which of the following is an example of the statement that 'language is symbolic'?

A)I can use the word 'dog' to refer to a variety of different individual animals.
B)The word 'dog' can be used in a variety of novel sentences.
C)I can use the word 'dog' to refer to an animal that isn't currently present.
D)The phrase 'the dog bit the man' means something different than 'the man bit the dog'.

Question 17

In the statement "First the oven was preheated to 350 degrees," how many morphemes are in the word "preheated"?

A)3
B)5
C)6
D)9

Question 18

When your psychology professor used the word "experiment" to refer to the scientific method described in Chapter 2, which property of language was reflected by the term "experiment"?

A)Language is symbolic.
B)Language is generative.
C)Language is structured.
D)Language is orderly.

Question 19

Which of the following is an example of the statement that 'language is generative'?

A)The word 'dog' can be used in a variety of novel sentences.
B)I can use the word 'dog' to refer to an animal that isn't currently present.
C)The phrase 'the dog bit the man' means something different than 'the man bit the dog'.
D)I can use the word 'dog' to refer to a variety of different individual animals.

Question 20

When did the cognitive revolution in psychology occur?

A)the 1880s
B)the 1920s
C)the 1950s
D)the 1980s

Question 21

In what age range do infants typically say their first word?

A)6 to 9 months
B)10 to 13 months
C)14 to 17 months
D)18 to 21 months

Question 22

When is learning of a second language detrimental to the development of a child?

A)If a child learns a second language after the age of 6, the second language will cause retroactive interference on use of the first language.
B)If a child learns two languages that are similar to one another, there will be a great deal of linguistic confusion as the child ages.
C)Learning of a second language is never detrimental.
D)If a child from a minority group is educated only in the language of the majority, it may undermine proficiency in the heritage language.

Question 23

Around what age do children typically start to understand and use ironic or sarcastic statements?

A)4-5 years
B)6-8 years
C)9-10 years
D)11-13 years

Question 24

Which of the following represents an occurrence of overregularization?

A)Alek uses the word 'cat' to only refer to his own cat.
B)Bern tells his mother that he 'wented' to the store with Daddy.
C)Callum says 'doggie sad' when he sees a howling dog on TV.
D)Dylan starts using a swear word after hearing his mother say it once.

Question 25

At dinner, three-year-old Matias overhears his father tell the waitress that his tasty hamburger was "superb." Matias has never heard this word before. The next day Matias tells his mother that the grilled-cheese sandwich she made him for lunch was superb. Which of the following terms represents the process by which Matias likely learned the word "superb"?

A)underextension
B)overextension
C)fast mapping
D)telegraphic speech

Question 26

Which of the following is least likely to be one of the first words a child would learn?

A)ball
B)red
C)eat
D)juice

Question 27

What is the term for the process by which a child learns a new word after only one exposure to the word?

A)overextension
B)fast mapping
C)underextension
D)logical reasoning

Question 28

Which of the following statements is the best example of telegraphic speech?

A)"Give cookie."
B)"I wanted a cookie."
C)"I eated a cookie."
D)"Cookie."

Question 29

What is typically included in telegraphic speech?

A)nouns and verbs
B)nouns, verbs, and articles
C)only nouns
D)only verbs

Question 30

Seven-year-old Thalia told her mother that the boys playing tag outside were "chasing each other around like puppies." What is reflected in Thalia's use of the metaphor?

A)metalinguistic awareness
B)overextension
C)overregularization
D)changes in her mean length of utterance

Question 31

If Dora is a typical infant, she will first show signs of understanding the meaning of familiar words such as "Dora," "milk," and "Mommy" at approximately what age?

A)8 months
B)10 months
C)12 months
D)14 months

Question 32

Erica points to the bus and calls it a car. What sort of error is this?

A)fast mapping
B)overregularization
C)underextension
D)overextension

Question 33

Which of the following best describes the discrimination ability of three-month-old infants?

A)They distinguish all the phonemes in their native language.
B)They distinguish all the morphemes in their native language.
C)They distinguish all the morphemes in all the world's languages.
D)They distinguish all the phonemes in all the world's languages.

Question 34

Max started saying words fairly reliably a few months ago, but recently there has been a dramatic increase in the number of words that he produces. It seems like every day there are a few new ones in his vocabulary! Everywhere he goes, he points at things and wants to know the names for everything. What age range is Max likely in?

A)6-10 months
B)10-15 months
C)18-24 months
D)24-30 months

Question 35

When an infant produces repetitive consonant-vowel combinations such as "babababa," what is the infant doing?

A)cooing
B)"baby talk"
C)speaking
D)babbling

Question 36

Which of the following provides evidence that receptive and productive vocabularies are different in young children?

A)An infant will discriminate among speech sounds from a variety of languages.
B)An infant will preferentially attend to the speech of caregivers rather than strangers.
C)A toddler will follow an instruction that uses words that she does not say yet.
D)A toddler will apply a grammar rule inappropriately.

Question 37

In the Featured Study on Babbling in the Manual Mode, Petitto and Marentette examined the development of language production in deaf infants. When comparing deaf infants to hearing infants, what did the researchers find?

A)Deaf infants and hearing infants both used hand gestures, but only deaf infants routinely used hand gestures that were related to ASL.
B)Hearing infants also demonstrated the capacity for learning ASL, and in some cases did more manual babbling than the deaf infants.
C)Deaf infants made just as much noise as hearing infants.
D)It was impossible to tell the difference between deaf and hearing infants, because they behaved identically.

Question 38

Which of the following is the best example of overregularization?

A)"Cookie."
B)"I eated a cookie."
C)"I want a cookie."
D)"Give cookie."

Question 39

What conclusion was drawn from the Featured Study on Babbling in the Manual Mode?

A)Babbling does not occur as a result of vocal development, but is tied to general language development and can be expressed in multiple ways.
B)Babbling is a by-product of the development of the vocal apparatus in children, and serves to strengthen the muscles that will later be necessary for speech.
C)Deaf infants will have profound language deficits throughout life.
D)Deaf infants will develop greater language capacity than hearing infants.

Question 40

Which child is exhibiting underextension?

A)Britney, who uses the word "car" only when referring to her mother's car
B)Abby, who uses the word "swing" when referring to all the pieces of playground equipment on the playground
C)Danielle, who uses the word "puppy" when referring to all dogs, young or old.
D)Caitlin, who uses the word "doggie" when referring to both her dog Fido and her grandmother's cat Fluffy

Question 41

Research suggests that bilingual individuals tend to score higher than monolingual individuals on some psychological measures. Which of the following pairs tend to be higher for bilingual individuals?

A)intelligence and analytical reasoning
B)cognitive flexibility and analytical reasoning
C)language-processing speed and cognitive flexibility
D)language-processing speed and intelligence

Question 42

Which aspect of human language suggests that language is an innate human characteristic?

A)Among all species, only humans use communication.
B)Language is symbolic.
C)Language is structured.
D)Language is universal in human societies.

Question 43

According to Steven Pinker, what is human language ability?

A)species-specific trait that results from specific learning experiences
B)behavioural trait that differs dramatically among cultures
C)species-specific trait that resulted from natural selection
D)behavioural trait that reflects societal values

Question 44

What has been demonstrated in research on children and adults who are learning a second language?

A)Adults are more successful than young children in learning the second language.
B)Young children are more successful than adults in learning the second language.
C)Young children and adults are equally successful in learning the second language.
D)Young girls and adult men are more successful than young boys and adult women in learning the second language.

Question 45

Which hypothesis is supported if a culture that has no word for the colour pink cannot quickly perceive the difference between pink and another colour?

A)metalinguistic awareness hypothesis
B)interactionist hypothesis
C)nativist hypothesis
D)linguistic relativity hypothesis

Question 46

What is the primary barrier that prevents chimpanzees from learning to speak?

A)Their mouths and throats are not equipped to produce spoken words the way we do.
B)Their main form of communication is gestural, rather than vocal.
C)They cannot focus their attention on a complex cognitive task like word-learning.
D)They cannot grasp the symbolic aspects of human language.

Question 47

Which hypothesis is the most likely explanation for why some ideas or concepts are very easily 'lost in translation' between two languages?

A)interactionist hypothesis
B)nativist hypothesis
C)metalinguistic awareness hypothesis
D)linguistic relativity hypothesis

Question 48

Which perspective on language acquisition can best explain a young child (whose parents speak grammatical English) saying, "Yesterday I goed to the zoo?"

A)learning theory
B)nativist theory
C)linguistic relativity theory
D)behaviourist theory

Question 49

Tak and Kun are both learning to speak English. Tak spends one year on intensive English-language lessons with an excellent instructor in Korea, who is fluent in both English and Korean. Kun moves to Edmonton, gets a job, and makes friends with people who speak English. Which of the following is most likely to be correct?

A)Kun will learn English faster because he is more acculturated.
B)Kun will learn English faster because his friends have a better grasp of the language than Tak's instructor.
C)Tak will learn English faster, because he is not distracted by the stressors of living in a new environment.
D)Tak will learn English faster because he has a specific instructor.

Question 50

If you are asked to come up with one word that is typically paired with taxi, screw and cattle (the answer is 'driver'), what sort of problem are you solving?

A)problems of probability
B)problems of inducing structure
C)problems of transformation
D)problems of arrangement

Question 51

Children produce various errors like overregularizations that they would not have heard from the adults or other models around them. Which of the following theories of language acquisition is WEAKENED by this evidence?

A)emergentist theory
B)interactionist theory
C)behaviourist theory
D)nativist theory

Question 52

Which of the following statements concerning the ability of animals to acquire language is false?

A)The ability to use language-in a very basic, primitive way-may not be entirely unique to humans.
B)Animals have never shown behaviour that suggests an understanding of grammatical rules.
C)Questions remain concerning whether the language-like behaviour of animals demonstrates all the critical properties of language.
D)Some language-like skills have been taught to a number of species.

Question 53

A family of 47-year-old Dad, 38-year-old Mom, 15-year-old Jonah, and 8-year-old Kenny adopt 7-year-old Roberto from Guatemala. According to research on bilingualism, which member of the family will likely be most successful in learning Spanish from Roberto?

A)Mom
B)Kenny
C)Jonah
D)Dad

Question 54

The vocabulary and style of communication used by Washoe, the chimp who was raised by researchers to use sign language, was sufficient for some basic communication with humans. Which of the following children would have a communication level that is similar to that of Washoe?

A)a two-year old child who produces telegraphic speech
B)a one year old child who has spoken a few words
C)a four year old child who shows evidence of overregularization
D)a six year old child who is learning to read

Question 55

Toddlers are immersed in a language-learning environment at all times, whereas adults who are learning a second language often do so on a part-time basis. Which of the following theories of language acquisition is weakened by this confounding variable?

A)emergentist theory
B)interactionist theory
C)nativist theory
D)behaviourist theory

Question 56

Which of the following theorists suggested that children are equipped with a language acquisition device (LAD) that allows them to acquire language?

A)Benjamin Lee Whorf
B)Ivan Pavlov
C)Noam Chomsky
D)B. F. Skinner

Question 57

How would Chomsky most likely explain a young child saying, "I runned around the house?"

A)The child imitated an ungrammatical sentence spoken by another child.
B)The child learned the rule for making the past tense of verbs as a result of hearing the speech of others.
C)The child had previously been reinforced for saying "I run around the house."
D)The child imitated the ungrammatical speech of an adult.

Question 58

According to cognitive psychologists, what is problem solving?

A)It is the sudden discovery of the correct solution following incorrect solutions.
B)It refers to active efforts to discover what must be done to achieve a goal that is not readily attainable.
C)It involves making choices under conditions of uncertainty.
D)It involves evaluating alternatives and making choices among them.

Question 59

Which theorist suggested that children learn language through imitation, reinforcement, and shaping?

A)B. F. Skinner
B)Ivan Pavlov
C)Noam Chomsky
D)Benjamin Lee Whorf

Question 60

According to B. F. Skinner, what allows children to learn how to construct grammatical sentences?

A)receiving specific instruction from adults on grammatical rules
B)nonreinforced trial and error
C)imitation and shaping
D)the functioning of the language acquisition device (LAD)

Question 61

If you were asked to rearrange the letters EDTIMRM in order to produce an English word (MIDTERM), what sort of problem are you trying to solve?

A)induced structure
B)arrangement
C)transformation
D)probability

Question 62

Which of the following is defined as a methodical, step-by-step procedure for trying all possible alternatives in searching for a solution to a problem?

A)an algorithm
B)a style
C)an analogy
D)a heuristic

Question 63

Which class of problems is often solved with a burst of insight?

A)transformation
B)induced structure
C)probability
D)arrangement

Question 64

In which class of problems is it necessary to carry out a sequence of intermediate actions in order to solve the problem?

A)arrangement
B)transformation
C)inducing structure
D)probability

Question 65

Because one of the main goals of playing the game Scrabble is to use a series of randomly selected letters to form words, Scrabble can best be described as a game that involves which type of problem?

A)functional fixedness
B)transformation
C)arrangement
D)inducing structure

Question 66

Which class of problems (as described by Greeno) involves discovering the relations among the parts of the problem?

A)transformation
B)arrangement
C)probability
D)inducing structure

Question 67

When is the trial-and-error approach to problem solving most effective?

A)when there are no time constraints on solving the problem
B)when there is a relatively large number of possible solutions
C)when a solution to the problem must be found quickly
D)when there is a relatively small number of possible solutions

Question 68

Which barrier to effective problem solving is illustrated by the series of water-jug problems described in your text?

A)irrelevant information
B)functional fixedness
C)unnecessary constraints
D)mental set

Question 69

Darcy needs to move a couch up a set of stairs that turns a corner near the top. As he is thinking about the best way to go about this, he thinks about the position that the couch needs to be in when it turns the corner. That piece of information then anchors his decision about how to orient the couch at the bottom of the stairs. Which of the following does this example illustrate?

A)working backward
B)representing the problem in a novel way
C)removing unnecessary constraints
D)the trial-and-error approach

Question 70

What is the term used to describe the tendency to think of a hammer as only a tool to hammer nails and not as a weapon, a lever, or a weight to prop open a door?

A)functional fixedness
B)unnecessary constraints
C)irrelevant information
D)a mental set

Question 71

When Matthew is taking a multiple choice exam, he uses the rule 'When in doubt, pick C'. Which of the following is illustrated by this example?

A)trial and error
B)forming subgoals
C)an analogy
D)a heuristic

Question 72

Which of the following is a shortcut, or guiding principle, used in solving problems or making decisions?

A)a trial
B)an analogy
C)a heuristic
D)an algorithm

Question 73

Your Dad has a problem; what to get your Mom for her birthday. He mentally reviews her reaction to presents he has given her in the past (an iron, a toaster, an ice cream maker). If he decides to get her a cappuccino machine because she seemed to like a "luxury" appliance like the ice cream maker more than the "routine" or necessary appliances like the toaster, your Dad would be making use of which approach to problem solving?

A)trial and error
B)forming subgoals
C)changing the representation of the problem
D)searching for analogies

Question 74

What are people doing if a mental set interferes with problem solving?

A)They place an unnecessary constraint on the solution to a problem.
B)They assume that all the information provided in a problem is necessary to solve the problem.
C)They perceive an item only in terms of its most common use.
D)They persist in using problem-solving strategies that have worked in the past.

Question 75

People often find it difficult to solve a problem by using a familiar object in a novel way. What is this called?

A)a mental set
B)unnecessary constraints
C)irrelevant information
D)functional fixedness

Question 76

Which type of strategy is especially useful when a problem has a well-specified end point?

A)forming subgoals
B)changing the representation of the problem
C)working backward
D)algorithm

Question 77

Which task is involved in analogy problems such as "Mickey Mouse is to Minnie Mouse as Donald Duck is to ____"?

A)inducing structure
B)arrangement
C)mental set
D)transformation

Question 78

Ashley has just had her first-ever flat tire. She realizes that she needs to find where the spare tire and the jack and other tools are stored in the car, remove the flat tire, and install the spare tire. Which heuristic is Ashley using to approach the problem?

A)forming subgoals
B)changing the representation of the problem
C)working backward
D)searching for analogies

Question 79

People often assume that it is necessary to use all the numerical information provided in a problem in order to solve the problem. In reality, numerical information sometimes makes it more difficult to solve a problem. Why?

A)The information results in a mental set.
B)The information may be irrelevant.
C)The information puts unnecessary constraints on the problem solver.
D)The information encourages functional fixedness.

Question 80

Johanna was placed in charge of planning her class's spring formal. If she thought she should hire the same band that played at last year's formal because of how much everyone enjoyed the band, which barrier to effective problem solving might Johanna be encountering?

A)unnecessary constraints
B)mental set
C)functional fixedness
D)irrelevant information