Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 2

Even though he knows only a small percentage of high school athletes go on to professional careers, Charlie believes that he will be drafted by a good Junior team, play for Team Canada in the World Juniors Championship, and then have a career in the NHL. What is Charlie doing?

Accepted Answer

A) not applying the conjunction fallacy 
B) applying base rates to himself 
C) not applying base rates to himself 
D) applying the conjunction fallacy

Question 3

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"?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 4

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?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

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?

Accepted Answer

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 6

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 7

When did the cognitive revolution in psychology occur?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 8

Max is using a consumer buying guide to help him decide which cars would be good to buy. Max decides not to buy any car with a mechanical reliability rating of less than six, a crash rating of less than seven, a leg-room rating of less than five, and a fuel efficiency rating of less than six. Which strategy is Max using?

Accepted Answer

A) additive 
B) selection by aspects 
C) elimination by aspects 
D) subtractive

Question 9

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

Accepted Answer

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 10

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?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 11

When the boy doesn't realize that the word "book" applies to more than just his book, what is this error called?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 12

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

Accepted Answer

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 13

What is the term used to describe people who rely on internal frames of reference when orienting themselves in space, and who also tend to analyze and try to restructure the physical environment rather than accepting it as it is?

Accepted Answer

A) field independent 
B) field accepting 
C) field dependent 
D) field rejecting

Question 14

People tend to put too much faith in their own estimates and beliefs. What is this tendency called?

Accepted Answer

A) overconfidence effect 
B) confirmation bias 
C) gambler's fallacy 
D) availability heuristic

Question 15

Barriers to effective problem solving, such as functional fixedness and mental sets, best reflect which unifying theme in psychology?

Accepted Answer

A) Psychology is empirical. 
B) People's experience of the world is highly subjective. 
C) Heredity and environment jointly influence behaviour. 
D) Behaviour is shaped by cultural heritage.

Question 16

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?

Accepted Answer

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 17

Imagine you have a problem to solve that has some similarities to problems you have previously solved. If focusing on the similarities leads you relatively quickly to a solution, then which heuristic do you benefit from?

Accepted Answer

A) changing the representation of the problem 
B) working backward 
C) searching for analogies 
D) functional fixedness

Question 18

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

Accepted Answer

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 19

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 20

What is typically included in telegraphic speech?

Accepted Answer

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

Exam 8: B: Language and Thought