Deck 7: Thinking, Language, and Intelligence

Question 1

Algorithms are usually time-consuming whereas ________ provide a more rapid solution when they work.

A)anagrams
B)formulas
C)searches
D)heuristics

Answer 1

heuristics

Question 2

When we apply the solution of an earlier problem to a new but similar problem, we are using an

A)analogy.
B)algorithm.
C)analysis.
D)anagram.

Answer 2

analogy.

Question 3

A prototype for the category weather would be

A)sun.
B)rain.
C)cloud.
D)all of these

Answer 3

rain.

Question 4

Peter is paying close attention to his psychology instructor and at the same time making connections to what he previously learned about this field. Peter is

A)daydreaming.
B)processing.
C)thinking.
D)using working memory.

Question 5

When compared with algorithms in problem-solving, a disadvantage of heuristic devices is that

A)correct solutions may not be revealed.
B)a slower rate of alternative solutions.
C)too many solutions to consider.
D)they are less efficient than using an algorithm.

Question 6

If you are given a physics problem, what might aid your understanding of the problem?

A)Your mental representations of the parts of the problem relate to one another in a meaningful way.
B)The mentally represented parts of the problem correspond to the elements of the problem in reality.
C)You have taken courses in physics that provide the background knowledge for solving the problem.
D)All of these

Question 7

It is John's first day at college. He recalls similar educational experiences, so he knows what to expect. John is employing the ______ heuristic.

A)analog
B)availability
C)analogy
D)analysis

Question 8

Two-year-old Melissa calls the postman "Daddy" when she sees a man with large shoes and long pants at their doorstep. Her mother says, "No, that's the postman!" Melissa is displaying __________, and her mother is teaching by __________.

A)overextensions; negative instances
B)overgeneralization; positive instances
C)overextension; positive instances
D)overgeneralization; negative instances

Question 9

After setting a five-year goal for their company, a group of managers look at where the company is today and the steps needed to achieve the end goal. They are using a technique called

A)analogies.
B)random search.
C)means-end analysis.
D)none of these

Question 10

When asked to define the essential features of the category "bird," Jim thinks of a robin or cardinal while describing the class "bird." Jim is using __________ to define the category "bird."

A)ideas
B)concepts
C)overextensions
D)exemplars

Question 11

Which of the following is an analogy?

A)There is something rotten in the state of Denmark.
B)A stitch in time saves nine.
C)Abe is to 5 as George is to 1.
D)Art for art's sake.

Question 12

Mental activity involved in understanding, processing, and communicating information is called

A)cognition.
B)perception.
C)sensation.
D)audition.

Question 13

During language development, children exhibit overinclusion of instances within a category such as calling a tiger a cat. This is referred to as

A)overextension.
B)underextension.
C)overgeneralization.
D)none of these

Question 14

When Francine prepared her New Year's resolutions on her health, finances, and relationships, she probably used __________ to formulate her goals and subgoals for each resolution.

A)analogous application
B)trial and error
C)an algorithm
D)means-ends analysis

Question 15

A problem-solving technique that involves a specific procedure for the particular type of problem is called

A)a computer.
B)an algorithm.
C)a concept.
D)an analogy.

Question 16

Crossword puzzle experts solve problems more efficiently and rapidly than neophytes. Select the skill that in your judgment would least contribute to making a person an expert in solving crossword puzzles.

A)An inborn aptitude for crossword puzzles
B)Good memory for the elements of crossword puzzles
C)Efficient methods for solving crossword puzzles
D)Relating a puzzle to others similar in structure

Question 17

A sofa, bed, and table are __________ of the category furniture, but a magazine rack, hassock, and piano bench are not.

A)positive instances
B)negative instances
C)exemplars
D)prototypes

Question 18

____________ instance is to "dog" as ___________ instance is to "not dog."

A)Positive; negative
B)Negative; positive
C)Exemplar; prototype
D)Prototype; exemplar

Question 19

Circles, squares, rectangles, and angles are all part of a mathematical ______ called geometry.

A)concept
B)formula
C)puzzle
D)problem

Question 20

George lost the keys to his car sometime between the time he locked it and his return to the car about three hours later. George retraced his steps, going to all of the places he visited after he initially locked the car. George is using __________ to find his keys.

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

Question 21

The mayor of a large city announced that the incidence of major crimes was down for the third year in a row. Yet a poll of residents who regularly watched the evening news on TV revealed that they still felt the frequency of criminal acts was high, and they felt unsafe living in the city. Which rule of thumb was responsible for the persistence of the residents' fears?

A)Representativeness heuristic
B)Persistence heuristic
C)Anchoring and adjustment heuristic
D)Availability heuristic

Question 22

When asked to list the ways in which a brick can be used, Tom replied with a number of various building projects. His response was most likely influenced by

A)functional fixedness.
B)novel thinking.
C)creative processing.
D)insight bias.

Question 23

______ can be helpful in problem-solving because it may keep us from pursuing unprofitable but persistent mental sets.

A)Incarceration
B)Incubation
C)Incantation
D)All of these

Question 24

Cosmo worked on a difficult calculus problem for several hours to no avail. He decided to take a break from his labors by taking a bath. Midway through his bath, he jumped up and shouted, "Eureka, I solved the problem!" He then ran to his desk and made the calculations. Cosmo allowed __________ to help him overcome the __________ that impeded solution.

A)incubation; mental sets
B)a rest period; functional fixedness
C)insight; mental sets
D)incubation; functional fixedness

Question 25

Pat Murphy, a police officer of Irish ethnic background, is a black belt in karate and smokes cigars. On the basis of which rule of thumb do we assume that Pat is male?

A)Availability heuristic
B)Representativeness heuristic
C)Anchoring and adjustment heuristic
D)Means-end analysis

Question 26

You just met your new supervisor and perceive her to be cold, calculating, and intimidating. Your friend, who has worked with this individual before, assures you the supervisor isn't really like you perceive. You have doubts about your friend's perception because of

A)anchoring and adjustment heuristics.
B)availability heuristics.
C)representative heuristics.
D)basic heuristics.

Question 27

Mary keeps dwelling on a problem she is trying to solve. Her best friend wants to help and advises Mary to

A)walk away and don't think about it for a while.
B)stay focused on the problem so a solution will eventually come to her.
C)keep plugging away at it until a solution comes to her.
D)do none of these

Question 28

The tendency to solve new problems with an approach that solved similar problems in the past is called

A)insight.
B)an algorithm.
C)a mental set.
D)intelligence.

Question 29

The ability to generate solutions to a problem by using objects in a new or novel way is blocked by

A)functional fixedness.
B)creativity.
C)mental set.
D)both functional fixedness and mental set.

Question 30

Tubby drove over to his friend Cliff's house to help him put up a basketball net. When he got there, Cliff was frustrated because his ladder was broken. Tubby pulled his SUV next to the basketball pole and stood on the roof. Tubby overcame Cliff's

A)incubation.
B)serial processing.
C)functional fixedness.
D)insight.

Question 31

What conclusion may be drawn about problem-solving from Maier's studies with Bismark?

A)Only humans can solve problems by means of insight.
B)A rat has demonstrated insight under laboratory conditions.
C)A rat has demonstrated trial-and-error learning under laboratory conditions.
D)Rats are capable of insight under a variety of conditions.

Question 32

Experts use parallel processing when solving problems, whereas novices use ______ processing.

A)serial
B)successive
C)cereal
D)visual

Question 33

Another term for the "A-ha!" experience is

A)mental set.
B)serial processing.
C)parallel processing.
D)insight.

Question 34

When a problem is similar to a population of events, a(n) ______ heuristic may be applicable.

A)adaptable
B)rational
C)representative
D)token

Question 35

After years of bad relationships, Kate's phrase "All men are jerks!" changed to "Maybe I make bad decisions." Kate had a(n)

A)mental set.
B)heuristic.
C)insight.
D)incubation.

Question 36

When an expert can deal with two or more elements of a problem simultaneously, this is called

A)primitive processing.
B)parallel processing.
C)dual processing.
D)none of these

Question 37

The representativeness heuristic leads people to make judgments about events according to

A)their recent experiences with such events.
B)the population of events they appear to represent.
C)how easy it is to find relevant events.
D)how well those events are present in memory.

Question 38

Pete received an "A" in his composition class last semester. He assumes that his research paper for his psychology class can be done the same way he did papers for the composition class. He is employing a ______ ______ to solve this problem.

A)false assumption
B)lucky guess
C)resistance path
D)mental set

Question 39

First impressions create ______ that influence our problem-solving skills.

A)theories
B)anchors
C)accurate assumptions
D)all of these

Question 40

If you were asked whether Americans bought more American-made cars than foreign-made cars, and you based your decision on the kinds of cars your friends drove, this decision process is indicative of

A)representative heuristics.
B)availability heuristics.
C)basic heuristics.
D)adjustment heuristics.

Question 41

Piaget would agree with the following statement regarding the relationship between cognition and language:

A)knowledge about the world cannot be acquired without language.
B)knowledge about the world can be only acquired with language.
C)preverbal children can understand the concepts of roundness or redness.
D)all of these

Question 42

Whether one's decisions are correct or incorrect, most people tend to be ______ about them.

A)overconfident
B)unsure
C)confused
D)overinflated

Question 43

When a child combines words to form a sentence rather than imitate one he or she heard before, the child is demonstrating the _______ characteristic of language skills.

A)semanticity
B)displacement
C)infinite creativity
D)plurality

Question 44

Which of the following statements is false regarding the relationship between language and cognition?

A)You can think without using language.
B)You can't think without using language.
C)Knowledge can be acquired without language.
D)None of these

Question 45

Research regarding the use of language in animals supports the following:

A)there is no doubt that some animals like gorillas and chimpanzees can be taught to use symbols to communicate.
B)communication is limited to the human species.
C)chimpanzees, gorillas, and humans can understand and produce language.
D)none of these

Question 46

In a debate on welfare reform, the conservative candidate made her presentation, followed by the moderate candidate, and finally the liberal candidate. The candidates made equally strong presentations of their views. A poll of those who watched revealed a tendency to take the position of the conservative candidate more than the others. This outcome may have been due to the __________ heuristic.

A)availability
B)representativeness
C)anchoring and adjustment
D)framing

Question 47

The sentence "Low-flying airplanes can be dangerous" has a different meaning than "Flying airplanes low can be dangerous." Even though both sentences have the same words, only the order of the words differs. These differences in meaning are the concern of

A)phonology.
B)syntax.
C)inflections.
D)semantics.

Question 48

Which of the following is the best definition of language?

A)The ability to speak in logical terms
B)The communication of thoughts and feelings by means of organized symbols
C)The symbolic transformation of ideas in a mutually exclusive network
D)The creation of meaningful sounds between two people

Question 49

Which of the following is not offered as a reason for overconfidence in decision-making?

A)Many people have inborn decision-making skills.
B)People often focus on examples that confirm their judgments.
C)People are often unaware of how flimsy their assumptions may be.
D)People tend to forget information that runs counter to their judgments.

Question 50

As a juror attempting to make a decision regarding the possible guilt of a defendant, you recall how the lawyer kept referring to this individual as a criminal, so you assume he/she must be guilty. You have allowed _________ to influence your decision-making.

A)representative heuristics
B)availability effect
C)framing effect
D)all of these

Question 51

"I have good news and bad news about my grades," Peter told his father. "The good news is very good, and the bad news is not so bad!" What strategy was Peter using to soften his father's judgment about his grades?

A)Availability heuristic
B)Anchoring and adjustment heuristic
C)Representativeness heuristic
D)Framing effect

Question 52

In your high school French class, you first learned vocabulary and then you practiced conversational French. In the beginning, you were using the _________ of the language, and then you were using the __________ capacity of the language.

A)semanticity; infinite creativity
B)infinite creativity; displacement
C)displacement; semanticity
D)infinite creativity; semanticity

Question 53

True language is distinguished from the communication systems of lower animals by all of the following except

A)infinite creativity.
B)displacement.
C)prerequisity.
D)semanticity.

Question 54

Mr. Dithering, an office manager of a service company, believes that he is an excellent judge of character and that he can spot a talented prospective employee in a brief interview. Often, he will point out his successful hires but fail to acknowledge poorly performing employees he hired. Dithering's judgment suffers from

A)divergent thinking.
B)inductive reasoning.
C)overconfidence.
D)a lack of confidence.

Question 55

For a communication system to involve the use of true language, the following must be demonstrated:

A)semanticity, plurality, and displacement.
B)semanticity, infinite creativity, and displacement.
C)serendipity, infinite creativity, and displacement.
D)semanticity, infinite duplicity, and displacement.

Question 56

In making decisions, people tend to focus on examples that confirm their judgments and ignore instances that do not. This process often leads to

A)overconfidence.
B)overbearing behavior.
C)divergent thinking.
D)availability heuristic.

Question 57

The sounds of a language convey meaning; words serve as symbols for actions, objects, and relational concepts. The property of language that carries meaning is

A)displacement.
B)infinite creativity.
C)syntax.
D)semanticity.

Question 58

You can explain to your friends what you did over spring break even though you were not together due to the _________ characteristic of language.

A)infinite generativity
B)symbolic
C)displacement
D)all of these

Question 59

Our ability to share our past and talk about our future goals involves the ________ capacity of language.

A)infinite generativity
B)semanticity
C)plurality
D)displacement

Question 60

An optimist says the glass is half full, and the pessimist says it is half empty. Each of these points of view illustrates the

A)representativeness heuristic.
B)availability heuristic.
C)anchoring and adjustment heuristic.
D)power of divergent thinking.

Question 61

According to psycholinguistic theory, the inborn tendency to acquire language is called a

A)language acquisition device.
B)heuristic device.
C)reinforcement contingency.
D)stimulus-response association.

Question 62

The psycholinguistic theory of language acquisition proposes that language development depends upon

A)environmental influences.
B)parental reinforcement.
C)inborn factors.
D)all of these

Question 63

In contrast to learning theory, the nativist theory of language development proposes that __________ factors account for the acquisition of language.

A)environmental
B)social
C)early experience
D)inborn

Question 64

Jamie's mother was concerned that her four-year-old daughter overregularized plurals and tenses. She took Jamie to Dr. Acton, a noted learning theorist, who advised her to

A)wait for Jamie's speech to correct itself.
B)take her to a speech therapist.
C)correct her grammar through imitation and repetition.
D)begin instruction in another language.

Question 65

When a toddler utters "baba," it may mean, "I want my bottle," or "Where is my bottle?" or "I'm hungry." Such utterances are called

A)telegraphic speech.
B)overextensions.
C)holophrases.
D)overgeneralizations.

Question 66

The development of prelinguistic vocalizations by infants follows which order?

A)Crying, babbling, and cooing
B)Crying, cooing, and holophrasing
C)Crying, cooing, and babbling
D)Crying, babbling, and single words

Question 67

All of the following are characteristics of infant directed speech except

A)sentences are repeated several times.
B)objects are overdescribed with compound labels.
C)sentences are simple in syntax.
D)words are spoken at a low pitch.

Question 68

Who is credited with originating the linguistic-relativity hypothesis?

A)B.F. Skinner
B)Jean Piaget
C)Noam Chomsky
D)Benjamin Whorf

Question 69

Cooing is to ______ as holophrase is to ________.

A)linguistic; prelinguistic
B)prelinguistic; linguistic
C)vocal; nonvocal
D)nonvocal; vocal

Question 70

The linguistic-relativity hypothesis predicts that speakers of different languages

A)conceptualize the world differently.
B)employ similar concepts, even though their vocabulary differs.
C)comprehend the rules that govern their language.
D)use a universal grammar to govern their language.

Question 71

With the utterance of words, the infant's vocabulary growth at first is

A)slow, with just a few words in the next few months.
B)moderate, with 30 to 40 words in the next few months.
C)fast, with about 100 words in the next few months.
D)stable over the next 10 months.

Question 72

The linguistic-relativity hypothesis has not been supported by

A)Benjamin Whorf.
B)historical cognitive scientists.
C)modern cognitive scientists.
D)Noam Chomsky.

Question 73

A child who is entertained by riddles and jokes is likely how old?

A)3 years
B)4 years
C)8 years
D)6 years

Question 74

The learning theory approach to language acquisition has difficulty explaining which one of the following statements?

A)Children say phrases and sentences they have not heard.
B)Babbling and cooing are inborn vocalizations.
C)Parents reinforce the accuracy of their children's statements.
D)Reading to children increases their vocabulary.

Question 75

Learning theories of language development emphasize the role of

A)inborn factors.
B)reinforcement and imitation.
C)language acquisition devices.
D)overgeneralization.

Question 76

The babbling of infants in all cultures sounds much the same, but by 9 or 10 months of age,

A)children from industrialized cultures display a greater variety of sounds.
B)inborn factors result in cultural differences in languages.
C)infants repeat the sounds used in the home.
D)holophrases are uttered.

Question 77

Crying, cooing, and babbling are prelinguistic activities that are

A)inborn.
B)learned.
C)shaped by experience.
D)different in different cultures.

Question 78

Children between the ages of three and five incorrectly apply the rules of past tense and plurals and say "sitted" instead of "sat" and "gooses" instead of "geese." This phase of language development reflects

A)charming childish speech.
B)a beginning knowledge of grammar.
C)faulty language development.
D)inadequate instruction by the parents.

Question 79

A person magically transported from the early 1800s to the present world, on seeing an airplane in flight, likely would

A)not be able to think about it until he or she was given a word for the airplane.
B)be completely unable to form any thoughts about it.
C)refuse to admit seeing it out of fear.
D)think about it and call it a flying vehicle or airship.

Question 80

Tarzan's speech patterns such as "See Jane" and "Boy get" are indicative of a two-year-old's

A)telegraphic speech.
B)holophrases.
C)overextensions.
D)overgeneralizations.