Deck 8: A: Language and Thought

Question 1

There are different sounds across languages that all represent the same thing. Which quality of language does this reflect?

A)semantic
B)generative
C)cross-cultural
D)structural

Answer 1

semantic

Question 2

What do we mean when we say that language is generative?

A)The symbols used in the language are arbitrary.
B)Language is both written and oral.
C)A limited number of symbols can be combined to produce an infinite variety of messages.
D)Sentences must be structured in a limited number of ways.

Answer 2

A limited number of symbols can be combined to produce an infinite variety of messages.

Question 3

Which of the following statements is least accurate?

A)A letter of the alphabet is represented by more than one phoneme if it has more than one pronunciation.
B)All languages use all of the phonemes of which humans are capable.
C)Humans are capable of producing about 100 phonemes.
D)Phonemes are combined into morphemes.

Answer 3

All languages use all of the phonemes of which humans are capable.

Question 4

What is the smallest unit of meaning in a language?

A)phrase
B)morpheme
C)phoneme
D)word

Question 5

Three-year-old Isaiah used to say "mikk" when he wanted a drink of milk. Now he is able to say "milk" quite clearly. What language component has Isaiah improved in this instance?

A)morphemes
B)phonemes
C)syntax
D)linguistic heuristics

Question 6

Which component of spoken language are phonemes the smallest units of?

A)meaning
B)sound
C)dialect
D)syntax

Question 7

What does the term "cognition" refer to?

A)focusing awareness of a narrow range of stimuli or events
B)mental processes involved in acquiring and using knowledge
C)widely shared beliefs that are transmitted socially across generations
D)use of language in a social context

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT a cognitive activity?

A)solving a problem
B)remembering something
C)blinking at something
D)making a decision

Question 9

Imagine that a race of extraterrestrials came to earth. These extraterrestrials quickly learned to use Earth words to convey meaningful messages, and they were able to communicate effectively about unique aspects of their planet in meaningful sentences. Which of the following would be true of their communications?

A)They would not be generative or structured, but would be symbolic and semantic.
B)They would have all the essential requirements for language.
C)They would not be semantic or generative, but would be structured and symbolic.
D)They would not be symbolic or semantic, but would be generative and structured.

Question 10

The symbols used in a language are arbitrary. What does this mean?

A)The symbols have the same meaning to everyone.
B)There is a built-in relationship between the sound of the symbols and the concepts they stand for.
C)There is a built-in relationship between the look of the symbols and the concepts they stand for.
D)There is no built-in relationship between the symbols and the concepts they stand for.

Question 11

What occurs when the word "oat" is changed to the word "boat"?

A)The number of phonemes increase, but the number of morphemes stay the same.
B)The number of phonemes and morphemes both increase.
C)The number of phonemes stay the same, but the number of morphemes increase.
D)The number of phonemes decrease, but the number of morphemes increase.

Question 12

Language has rules that govern the arrangement of words into phrases and sentences. What quality of language does this reflect?

A)phonemic
B)continuity
C)structured
D)generative

Question 13

What are the adjectives that describe the four essential characteristics of language?

A)symbolic, generative, phonemic, and structured
B)syntactic, symbolic, generative, and semantic
C)semantic, symbolic, structured, and generative
D)generative, rule governed, phonemic, and syntactic

Question 14

Why was the study of cognition discouraged during the first half of the 20th century?

A)Cognition was not considered to be a psychological function.
B)Earlier studies using the method of introspection had yielded unreliable results.
C)Psychodynamic theories were too dominant in the field.
D)Language acquisition was viewed as an innate process that could not be studied empirically.

Question 15

How many phonemes does the English language use?

A)approximately 450,000 phonemes, one for each word
B)26 phonemes, one for each letter of the alphabet
C)about 40 phonemes, corresponding to the letters of the alphabet plus several variations
D)all of the 100 or so phonemes that humans are capable of producing

Question 16

Imagine that a race of extraterrestrials came to earth. These extraterrestrials quickly learned to use Earth words to convey meaningful messages, but they never created new combinations of words or learned how to use rules to create meaningful sentences. Which of the following would be true of their communications?

A)They would have all the requirements for language.
B)They would not be generative or structured, but would be symbolic and semantic.
C)They would lack all the essential elements of language.
D)They would not be symbolic or semantic, but would be generative and structured.

Question 17

Last Halloween, 4-year-old Jillian called the decorations at her house "pukkins." This year she is able to say "pumpkins" when she describes them. What language component has Jillian improved in this instance?

A)morphemes
B)syntax
C)phonemes
D)linguistic heuristics

Question 18

Language allows a person to express new ideas. Which quality of language does this reflect?

A)the symbolic dimension of language
B)the constructive function of language
C)the generative quality of language
D)the invention dimension of language

Question 19

Which component of spoken language are morphemes the smallest unit of?

A)syntax
B)sound
C)dialect
D)meaning

Question 20

Which of the following types of activity best characterizes our ability to reason?

A)learned
B)behavioural
C)objective
D)cognitive

Question 21

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

A)Babies initially babble the sounds used in many different languages.
B)Babies babble only sounds that are part of the parents' language.
C)Babbling simply involves imitation of the parents' speech sounds.
D)Babbling emerges only in infants who are not exposed to correct speech.

Question 22

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

A)Rules of syntax underlie all language use.
B)Syntax is the first component of language to be mastered by children.
C)If speakers can use a rule of syntax, they will also be able to verbalize it.
D)The process by which we learn the rules of syntax is well understood by psycholinguists.

Question 23

At about what age do babies start babbling?

A)birth
B)1 month
C)3 months
D)6 months

Question 24

The sentence, "The nervous the stared thick at exam student" would be virtually impossible for an English speaker to understand. Which type of rule is being violated?

A)syntax
B)psycholinguistics
C)heuristic
D)denotation

Question 25

What occurs when the word "able" is changed to the word "table"?

A)The number of phonemes and morphemes both increase.
B)The number of phonemes decrease, but the number of morphemes increase.
C)The number of phonemes stay the same, but the number of morphemes increase.
D)The number of phonemes increase, but the number of morphemes stay the same.

Question 26

A declarative sentence must have both a noun phrase and a verb phrase. Which type of rule is this an example of?

A)transformational rule
B)rule of syntax
C)rule of denotation
D)semantic rule

Question 27

Which of the following words has the same number of morphemes as the word 'unbeliever'?

A)triangle
B)silly
C)privilege
D)resented

Question 28

What is the function of the component of language called semantics?

A)understanding the meaning of words and word combinations
B)creating novel messages from a finite number of symbols
C)specifying rules for how words can be arranged into sentences
D)correctly pronouncing the prefixes, suffixes, and root words of a language

Question 29

What is the denotation of a word?

A)a complex interaction between the word's phonology and syntax
B)its dictionary definition
C)its emotional overtones and secondary implications
D)the separate sounds that make up the word

Question 30

How many morphemes are in the word "unchangeable"?

A)one morpheme, for the entire word
B)four morphemes, one for each syllable
C)nine morphemes, one for each letter of the alphabet used
D)three morphemes: "un," "change," and "able"

Question 31

Which component of language allows you to recognize that "give" and "take" have opposite meanings?

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

Question 32

Which of the following would change depending on whether you used a word in a literal sentence or a sarcastic sentence?

A)denotation
B)phonemes
C)connotation
D)morphemes

Question 33

You are at a daycare centre and you hear three 12-month-old babies babbling, each baby from a different racial/ethnic background (Asian, Hispanic, and Caucasian). What should be true of the babbling of each of these infants?

A)It will sound very similar, because maturation is the major determinant of language acquisition during the first year.
B)It will consist mainly of two-word phrases (telegraphic speech).
C)It will consist mainly of vowel sounds, because consonant sounds don't usually emerge until 14 months of age.
D)It will sound very different, with each child's babbles sounding quite similar to the parents' native language.

Question 34

What is the connotation of a word?

A)the separate sounds that make up the word
B)its emotional overtones and secondary implications
C)its dictionary definition
D)a complex interaction between the word's phonology and syntax

Question 35

What is produced in "babbling"?

A)different cries to signify different kinds of discomfort
B)a wide variety of phonemes and consonant-vowel combinations
C)sound, by placing the tongue near the back of the mouth
D)random combinations of words

Question 36

What occurs when the word "jar" is changed to the word "jars"?

A)The numbers of phonemes and morphemes both increase.
B)The number of phonemes decreases, but the number of morphemes increases.
C)The number of phonemes increases, but the number of morphemes stays the same.
D)The number of phonemes stays the same, but the number of morphemes increases.

Question 37

Last year, 5-year-old Alonda would say "No he coming" when explaining to her younger sister that their older brother would be staying home. Now Alonda will tell her sister "He's not coming." Which aspect of language does this example illustrate development in?

A)linguistic relativity
B)phonemes
C)morphemes
D)syntax

Question 38

What should you expect to find if you were to compare adult speech with the variety of noises made by infants under six months of age?

A)Adults are capable of producing more phonemes than are infants.
B)Adults and infants both use the same number of phonemes.
C)Infants produce more phonemes than adults do.
D)Infants produce more morphemes than adults do.

Question 39

Which of the following statements is least accurate?

A)The sounds babbled by babies from different cultures are different right from the start.
B)Infants; first words are similar, even in different languages.
C)Infants' first words are likely to consist of sounds that are easy to produce.
D)Infants' first words resemble the syllables they babble spontaneously.

Question 40

What type of rule does syntax refer to?

A)combining morphemes into words
B)combining phonemes to form morphemes
C)arranging words into phrases and sentences
D)using words symbolically

Question 41

Kailee has learned the word "kitty," but she uses this word when she is referring to cats, bunnies, squirrels, and other small furry animals. What does this example illustrate?

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

Question 42

Jenna is 14 months old and uses only "bottle," "no," "up," "bye-bye," "mama," and "dada" when she talks. However, when her father tells Jenna to get her blue bunny from the bedroom and bring it to him, Jenna quickly runs to get the bunny. What does this example illustrate?

A)Jenna is able to overextend her current vocabulary, when the situation demands it.
B)Jenna likely has a speech impediment.
C)Infants have difficulty pronouncing phonemes they have never heard.
D)Toddlers' receptive vocabularies are larger than their productive vocabularies.

Question 43

At about what age are a child's first words generally spoken?

A)3 to 5 months
B)6 to 8 months
C)10 to 13 months
D)18 to 21 months

Question 44

Seamus heard of and ate ice cream for the first time yesterday. All day today he has been asking for ice cream. What does this example illustrate?

A)overextension
B)metalinguistic awareness
C)semantic slanting
D)fast mapping

Question 45

Evidence was presented in the Featured Study about babbling in the manual mode. What did that study suggest about babbling?

A)It is specifically related to maturation of the vocal tract.
B)It is emitted by deaf infants, but they cannot use it for communication.
C)It is an important component of language development, regardless of the modality.
D)It is an important component of spoken speech, but not signed speech.

Question 46

In general, which of the following is true of toddlers' language abilities?

A)They understand more words than they can say.
B)They can say more words than they understand.
C)They understand and say about the same number of words.
D)They say a lot of words, but we have no idea what they actually understand.

Question 47

When a child incorrectly uses a word to describe a narrower set of objects or actions than it is meant to, which type of error is a child making?

A)underextension
B)telegraphic speech
C)overextension
D)undergeneralization

Question 48

By what age do children generally master linguistic concepts like plural, or past-tense?

A)3
B)2
C)4
D)5

Question 49

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

A)Telegraphic speech is more prevalent in Western cultures than in non-Western cultures.
B)The emergence of telegraphic speech is unique to the English language.
C)The emergence of telegraphic speech is a cross-cultural, universal aspect of language development.
D)Although telegraphic speech occurs in many languages, it is not a universal aspect of language development.

Question 50

Two-year-old Owen rushes into the kitchen and tells his sister: "Baby throw. Baby bad." He wants her to know that his baby brother is bad because he just threw his toys on the floor. What does Owen's communication illustrate?

A)overregularization
B)underextension
C)semantic slanting
D)telegraphic speech

Question 51

You are listening to two-year-old Annie as she says "No eat. No like." She is trying to let you know that she is not going to eat her broccoli because she doesn't like it. What does Annie's communication illustrate?

A)telegraphic speech
B)overregularization
C)semantic slanting
D)underextension

Question 52

What must be true about babbling if infants who are learning sign language show evidence of manual babbling (using sign-language-based babbling), but other infants show only vocal babbling?

A)It is related to maturation processes that are unrelated to speech.
B)It is important for development of more than just language and vocal skills.
C)It is related to language acquisition in general, rather than just vocal speech.
D)It is related to motor development in general.

Question 53

Which of the following would constitute underextension, if done by a three-year-old child?

A)using the word 'dress' for all items of clothing
B)only using the word 'kitty' to refer to her own cat and not others
C)forgetting the word 'banana' because it was just learned today
D)leaving words out of sentences, while retaining the basic meaning

Question 54

Roberto knows how to say "red," but when his cousin asks him to name the colours of the cars that drive past their house, he says red for the red cars, the blue cars, the green cars, and the black cars. What does this example illustrate?

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

Question 55

Overextensions are more common in children's production of words than in their comprehension of words. What does this imply about the use of overextensions?

A)Toddlers cannot yet combine words into sentences.
B)Children's vocabulary growth occurs at a very rapid pace.
C)Toddlers must rely on a very limited vocabulary to express themselves.
D)Toddlers can't consistently identify objects to which different words apply.

Question 56

What is fast mapping?

A)pacing of activity associated with gene expression
B)relating words to underlying concepts after only one exposure
C)a type of play a child engages in at an early age
D)development of a mental representation of one's environment

Question 57

Dale is in Grade 5 and his sister Alina is in Grade 3. What major difference would you expect in comparing their vocabularies?

A)Dale's will contain several hundred more words than Alina's.
B)Dale's will contain approximately 20 000 more words than Alina's.
C)Dale's will be only slightly larger than Alina's, but will contain very few errors.
D)Dale's vocabulary will be similar in size, but his syntax will be far superior.

Question 58

Which of the following situations would lead you to suspect that the child has a language development problem?

A)A three-year-old child uses grammar correctly around 75 percent to 80 percent of the time.
B)A five-year-old child can use language much better than a chimpanzee.
C)A two-year-old child babbles and uses a few words.
D)A one-year-old child understands a few words and can say a few words.

Question 59

Valerie is 18 months old. What should her productive vocabulary consist of?

A)100 to 200 words
B)fewer than 3 words
C)about 500 words
D)3 to 50 words

Question 60

Which of the following is a case of overextension?

A)A word is incorrectly used to describe the opposite of its true meaning.
B)A child uses a single word to signify an entire phrase or sentence.
C)A word is incorrectly used for a wider set of objects or actions than it applies to.
D)A child's vocabulary has become overly large.

Question 61

A child uses word "wented" as the past tense of the verb "to go." What is he using?

A)a metalinguistic transformation
B)semantic slanting
C)motherese to express the past tense
D)a general rule in a case where it does not apply

Question 62

Which of the following minimum ages would you expect Jesse to be, based on his use of sarcasm?

A)3 years
B)9 years
C)12 years
D)6 years

Question 63

Four-year-old Nina says, "I runned all the way home." What does this likely indicate?

A)Nina hears improper verb forms spoken in her home.
B)Nina has forgotten the correct way to form the past tense.
C)Nina is still relying on telegraphic speech to convey meaning.
D)Nina is overregularizing a grammatical rule.

Question 64

What is metalinguistic awareness?

A)knowledge of which verbs are irregular
B)awareness of the role of positive reinforcement in language acquisition
C)the ability to reflect on the use of language
D)the tendency to recognize one's own grammatical errors

Question 65

If Annette is learning two languages, what will be the impact of bilingualism on the development of her vocabulary?

A)The size of her vocabulary will be smaller in each language, but the total of the two will be similar to the vocabulary of a monolingual child.
B)The size of her vocabulary will be normal in each language.
C)The size of her vocabulary will be enhanced in each language.
D)The size of her vocabulary, when both languages are added together, will be smaller than that of a monolingual child.

Question 66

What have we learned from studies in which researchers have attempted to teach chimpanzees and bonobos to use nonverbal language (i.e., sign language or communication boards)?

A)Some have appeared to learn many words, and have combined words in appropriate ways.
B)They are capable of learning language to a level equivalent to that seen in 10-year-old children.
C)They are not capable of acquiring nonverbal communication.
D)They can use nonverbal methods to communicate with other primates, but not with humans.

Question 67

Which of the following is true of bilingualism?

A)Bilinguals score higher than monolinguals in metalinguistic awareness.
B)Bilinguals score lower than monolinguals in selective attention and cognitive flexibility.
C)Bilinguals are faster than monolinguals in language-processing speed.
D)Bilingualism has a significant, negative effect on overall language development.

Question 68

In some early studies, researchers attempted to teach chimpanzees to speak. What conclusions led to these studies being discontinued?

A)The reinforcement contingencies used in these studies were highly stressful for chimpanzees.
B)Chimpanzees lack the necessary vocal equipment to produce human speech sounds.
C)Chimpanzees lack the cognitive capacity to understand and produce language.
D)Humans are the only species that is capable of conscious communication.

Question 69

Which of the following statements is least accurate?

A)Overregularizations occur only in English, which has numerous irregular verbs.
B)Overregularizations are more common in children's comprehension of words than in their production of words.
C)Overregularizations decline when school-age children are formally taught subtle exceptions to grammatical rules.
D)Overregularizations reflect the fact that children do not acquire the rules of grammar in a single leap.

Question 70

Dr. Phranal is studying cognitive flexibility and selective attention in bilingual and monolingual adults. What pattern is Dr. Phranal most likely to see in the test scores of bilingual participants, based on the evidence from previous research studies?

A)They score higher in cognitive flexibility, but lower in selective attention.
B)They score lower in cognitive flexibility, but higher in selective attention.
C)They score lower in both cognitive flexibility and selective attention.
D)They score higher in both cognitive flexibility and selective attention.

Question 71

What type of understanding is illustrated by Kanzi (the famous bonobo) and his ability to distinguish between "Pour the Coke in the lemonade" and "Pour the lemonade in the Coke"?

A)syntax, but not semantics
B)both syntax and semantics
C)neither syntax nor semantics
D)semantics, but not syntax

Question 72

As Jesse was attempting to solve the problem, he got an idea when he saw the straw in the juice glass. What is the term that is used for recognizing a solution to a problem in this way?

A)field dependence
B)anagram
C)mental set
D)insight

Question 73

Which of the following was Jesse demonstrating when he used sarcasm?

A)metalinguistic awareness
B)telegraphic speech
C)overregularization
D)fast mapping

Question 74

What did it illustrate when Jesse recognized that the straw could be used for something other than drinking juice?

A)using an algorithm
B)overcoming functional fixedness
C)overcoming the problem space
D)using a trial-and-error approach

Question 75

Seven-year-old Travis heard a joke in school and asks you, "How could you find a lost dog in the woods?" When you are stumped, he tells you, "You stand near a tree and listen for the bark." What is Travis developing, based on this play on words?

A)the ability to use linguistic heuristics
B)psycholinguistic skills
C)metalinguistic awareness
D)linguistic relativity

Question 76

Which sort of basic problem does Jesse have to solve when he is confronted with a marble that he can't reach?

A)problem of arrangement
B)problem of transformation
C)an algorithmic problem
D)problem of inducing structure

Question 77

Which of the following errors is a child making who says, "I sawed a cat in the yard," (when he really meant that he saw the cat)?

A)overextension
B)underextension
C)overregularization
D)underregularization

Question 78

What happens when children and adults attempt to learn a second language?

A)Adults show greater mastery in acquiring a second language, when compared to young children.
B)When acquiring a second language, children master vocabulary faster, but adults master syntax faster.
C)In general, adults and young children do not differ in mastering a second language.
D)Young children show greater mastery in acquiring a second language, when compared to adults.

Question 79

Desmond moves to a new place where the language is different from his first language. What effect should you see on Desmond's ability to learn the new language if he doesn't really like his new home, and doesn't really try to fit in with the new culture?

A)His acquisition will not be affected by his motivation, because it is primarily based on experience.
B)His acquisition will be affected by his age and intelligence, but not by motivational factors.
C)His acquisition will be enhanced, because he will not be distracted by cultural differences.
D)His acquisition will be slowed by his lack of motivation to fit in.

Question 80

A 40-year-old couple emigrates from Poland to England. They have an 18-year-old son and a 9-year-old daughter. What should you expect about their second-language learning based on research that has investigated mastery of English as a second language?

A)The entire family will master English at about the same rate.
B)Both the son and the father will master English much more quickly than the females in the family.
C)The 9-year-old daughter will master English more quickly than her parents and her brother.
D)The parents will master English much more quickly than either of their two children.