Question 1

Children tend to generalize __________ but not __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  function words; multisyllabic words 
B)  function words; single-syllabic words 
C)  factual information; new words 
D)  new words; factual information 
A)  function words; multisyllabic words 
B)  function words; single-syllabic words 
C)  factual information; new words 
D)  new words; factual information

Question 2

Based on your text's discussion, which of the following questions is probably most difficult to answer?

Accepted Answer

A)  Does the use of language vary across cultures? 
B)  Does the use of language influence thought? 
C)  Does the specific form of language influence thought? 
D)  Does the general structure of language vary across cultures? 
A)  Does the use of language vary across cultures? 
B)  Does the use of language influence thought? 
C)  Does the specific form of language influence thought? 
D)  Does the general structure of language vary across cultures?

Question 3

What does it mean to say that toddlers can understand decontextualized language?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are able to think about objects on superordinate and subordinate levels. 
B)  They are able to think about objects that are absent. 
C)  They no longer make overregularization errors. 
D)  They no longer believe that each concept has only one word that refers to it. 
A)  They are able to think about objects on superordinate and subordinate levels. 
B)  They are able to think about objects that are absent. 
C)  They no longer make overregularization errors. 
D)  They no longer believe that each concept has only one word that refers to it.

Question 4

Your text notes that some educators believe that deaf children should attempt to learn spoken language rather than ASL. Do the observations described in your text appear to support this belief? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

A)  They appear to support it. Deaf children who were not taught ASL quickly acquire a spoken language. 
B)  They appear to support it. Deaf children who were not taught ASL develop only a very crude gestural system. 
C)  They do not appear to support it. Deaf children who were not taught ASL spontaneously acquire a gestural language, so they may as well be taught ASL in the first place, 
D)  They do not appear to support it. Deaf children who were not taught ASL slowly acquire a gestural language essentially identical to ASL in any case. 
A)  They appear to support it. Deaf children who were not taught ASL quickly acquire a spoken language. 
B)  They appear to support it. Deaf children who were not taught ASL develop only a very crude gestural system. 
C)  They do not appear to support it. Deaf children who were not taught ASL spontaneously acquire a gestural language, so they may as well be taught ASL in the first place, 
D)  They do not appear to support it. Deaf children who were not taught ASL slowly acquire a gestural language essentially identical to ASL in any case.

Question 5

By the age of 5, children possess a vocabulary of about how many words?

Accepted Answer

A)  75,000 
B)  100,000 
C)  10,000 
D)  1,000 
A)  75,000 
B)  100,000 
C)  10,000 
D)  1,000

Question 6

Which of the following represents a single phoneme?

Accepted Answer

A)  f 
B)  s 
C)  ing 
D)  ed 
A)  f 
B)  s 
C)  ing 
D)  ed

Question 7

What evidence is consistent with the prototype theory of meaning?

Accepted Answer

A)  Research participants are able to identify the single feature that is necessary and sufficient to define something as a member of a class. 
B)  Research participants find it easier to list words that are similar in meaning (wicked-evil) than words that are opposite in meaning (wicked-good). 
C)  Research participants are easily able to list words that define a particular member of a category. 
D)  Research participants judge some members of a category to be more representative than others. 
A)  Research participants are able to identify the single feature that is necessary and sufficient to define something as a member of a class. 
B)  Research participants find it easier to list words that are similar in meaning (wicked-evil) than words that are opposite in meaning (wicked-good). 
C)  Research participants are easily able to list words that define a particular member of a category. 
D)  Research participants judge some members of a category to be more representative than others.

Question 8

To what does the concept of a critical period for language acquisition refer?

Accepted Answer

A)  the period of transition between one-word and two-word utterances 
B)  the time in one's childhood in which language must develop if it is to be fully learned 
C)  the period that isolated children spend by themselves before someone teaches them language 
D)  the period from 6 to 10 years of age during which certain complex aspects of syntax are learned 
A)  the period of transition between one-word and two-word utterances 
B)  the time in one's childhood in which language must develop if it is to be fully learned 
C)  the period that isolated children spend by themselves before someone teaches them language 
D)  the period from 6 to 10 years of age during which certain complex aspects of syntax are learned

Question 9

An experimenter points to an object and says "That's foff." What will children almost always guess that foff refers to?

Accepted Answer

A)  some part of the object 
B)  the whole object 
C)  the material of which the object is made 
D)  the color of the object 
A)  some part of the object 
B)  the whole object 
C)  the material of which the object is made 
D)  the color of the object

Question 10

Mae has just turned 1. Nell is almost 3. Odette is 5, and Patty is 18. Which individual's language acquisition is CORRECTLY estimated in the following?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mae-uses two-word sentences 
B)  Nell-is learning three new words a day 
C)  Odette-has a vocabulary of 20,000 words 
D)  Patty-has vocabulary of 50,000 words 
A)  Mae-uses two-word sentences 
B)  Nell-is learning three new words a day 
C)  Odette-has a vocabulary of 20,000 words 
D)  Patty-has vocabulary of 50,000 words

Question 11

Which of the following statements is an INCORRECT description of how we interpret sentences?

Accepted Answer

A)  We interpret sentences rapidly. 
B)  We interpret each sentence we hear or read when we reach its ending. 
C)  Interpreting sentences is primarily an unconscious process. 
D)  We develop an interpretation of a sentence in an ongoing fashion as we hear or read each successive word. 
A)  We interpret sentences rapidly. 
B)  We interpret each sentence we hear or read when we reach its ending. 
C)  Interpreting sentences is primarily an unconscious process. 
D)  We develop an interpretation of a sentence in an ongoing fashion as we hear or read each successive word.

Question 12

According to the definitional theory of word meaning, why do we understand the meaning of a word?

Accepted Answer

A)  We form mental images of the word's meaning. 
B)  We are familiar with the particular objects to which words refer. 
C)  We come to associate words with specific actions. 
D)  We understand the semantic elements of the words. 
A)  We form mental images of the word's meaning. 
B)  We are familiar with the particular objects to which words refer. 
C)  We come to associate words with specific actions. 
D)  We understand the semantic elements of the words.

Question 13

Speech can be understood at rates up to __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  500 words per minute 
B)  1,000 words per minute 
C)  50 words per minute 
D)  250 words per minute 
A)  500 words per minute 
B)  1,000 words per minute 
C)  50 words per minute 
D)  250 words per minute

Question 14

Billy's mother failed to segregate her phonemes well, so little Billy thought he heard her say the phrase "lead us not into temptation" in the Lord's Prayer as "lead us not into Penn Station." This illustrates __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  a form of linguistic constancy 
B)  how words are subject to visual processing even when they are presented verbally 
C)  how Billy heard a word boundary in "temptation" where there was none 
D)  Billy's susceptibility to garden path sentences 
A)  a form of linguistic constancy 
B)  how words are subject to visual processing even when they are presented verbally 
C)  how Billy heard a word boundary in "temptation" where there was none 
D)  Billy's susceptibility to garden path sentences

Question 15

How might one best describe the relationship, if any, between language and the external environment?

Accepted Answer

A)  Our perception of the environment influences our interpretation of the speech we hear. 
B)  Language influences our perception of the environment. 
C)  Language influences our perception of the environment. In turn, our perception of the environment influences our interpretation of the speech we hear. 
D)  There is surprisingly little relationship between language and the external environment. 
A)  Our perception of the environment influences our interpretation of the speech we hear. 
B)  Language influences our perception of the environment. 
C)  Language influences our perception of the environment. In turn, our perception of the environment influences our interpretation of the speech we hear. 
D)  There is surprisingly little relationship between language and the external environment.

Question 16

Which studies present the most convincing evidence that first languages are easiest to learn in childhood?

Accepted Answer

A)  studies of chimpanzees learning ASL 
B)  studies of deaf middle-aged adults learning ASL 
C)  studies of language acquisition in children who are blind from birth 
D)  studies of language acquisition in children who were not exposed to auditory stimuli 
A)  studies of chimpanzees learning ASL 
B)  studies of deaf middle-aged adults learning ASL 
C)  studies of language acquisition in children who are blind from birth 
D)  studies of language acquisition in children who were not exposed to auditory stimuli

Question 17

Whorf advanced the idea that language sets limits on thought. He claimed, for instance, that certain Eskimo languages such as Inuit contain as many as 300 different words for snow and that speakers of such languages therefore make much finer distinctions among snow types than do speakers of other languages. Which of the following is NOT a valid argument AGAINST this claim?

Accepted Answer

A)  English actually has more snow-related terms than does Inuit. 
B)  Perhaps Inuit speakers make finer snow distinctions because they live in a world filled with snow, not because they have more words for snow than do others. 
C)  There are only 10 different forms of snow, and these forms are recognized universally, even by people never before exposed to snow. 
D)  Even if English had fewer snow terms, people could express fine distinctions about snow by using adjectives and so on. 
A)  English actually has more snow-related terms than does Inuit. 
B)  Perhaps Inuit speakers make finer snow distinctions because they live in a world filled with snow, not because they have more words for snow than do others. 
C)  There are only 10 different forms of snow, and these forms are recognized universally, even by people never before exposed to snow. 
D)  Even if English had fewer snow terms, people could express fine distinctions about snow by using adjectives and so on.

Question 18

Almost invariably, children's first utterances are __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  function words such as "the" 
B)  two words long (for instance, "go home") 
C)  one word long, such as "hi" or "bird" 
D)  formed around the "e" vowel sound ("eat") 
A)  function words such as "the" 
B)  two words long (for instance, "go home") 
C)  one word long, such as "hi" or "bird" 
D)  formed around the "e" vowel sound ("eat")

Question 19

In terms of language, psychologists generally agree that chimpanzees are unable to learn __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  to refer to events in the past tense 
B)  a substantial number of manual signals for words 
C)  rules to put words together in different sequences so as to express different meanings 
D)  to produce intelligible vocal speech 
A)  to refer to events in the past tense 
B)  a substantial number of manual signals for words 
C)  rules to put words together in different sequences so as to express different meanings 
D)  to produce intelligible vocal speech

Question 20

Languages are composed of a hierarchy of building blocks that combine to form higher and higher-level categories. At the bottom of this hierarchy are __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  morphemes 
B)  phrases 
C)  units of sound 
D)  verbs 
A)  morphemes 
B)  phrases 
C)  units of sound 
D)  verbs

Children tend to generalize but not .

Based on your text's discussion, which of the following questions is probably most difficult to answer?

What does it mean to say that toddlers can understand decontextualized language?

Your text notes that some educators believe that deaf children should attempt to learn spoken language rather than ASL. Do the observations described in your text appear to support this belief? Why or why not?

By the age of 5, children possess a vocabulary of about how many words?

Which of the following represents a single phoneme?

What evidence is consistent with the prototype theory of meaning?

To what does the concept of a critical period for language acquisition refer?

An experimenter points to an object and says "That's foff." What will children almost always guess that foff refers to?

Mae has just turned 1. Nell is almost 3. Odette is 5, and Patty is 18. Which individual's language acquisition is CORRECTLY estimated in the following?

Which of the following statements is an INCORRECT description of how we interpret sentences?

According to the definitional theory of word meaning, why do we understand the meaning of a word?

Speech can be understood at rates up to __________.

Billy's mother failed to segregate her phonemes well, so little Billy thought he heard her say the phrase "lead us not into temptation" in the Lord's Prayer as "lead us not into Penn Station." This illustrates __________.

How might one best describe the relationship, if any, between language and the external environment?

Which studies present the most convincing evidence that first languages are easiest to learn in childhood?

Almost invariably, children's first utterances are __________.

In terms of language, psychologists generally agree that chimpanzees are unable to learn __________.

Languages are composed of a hierarchy of building blocks that combine to form higher and higher-level categories. At the bottom of this hierarchy are __________.

Research Methods

Evolutionary and Genetic Influences on Behavior

The Brain and the Nervous System

Sensation

Perception

Consciousness

Learning

Memory

Thinking

Intelligence

Motivation and Emotion

Social Psychology

Development

Personality

Psychopathology

Treatment of Mental Disorders

Filters

Exam 10: Language

Children tend to generalize __________ but not __________.

Based on your text's discussion, which of the following questions is probably most difficult to answer?

What does it mean to say that toddlers can understand decontextualized language?

Your text notes that some educators believe that deaf children should attempt to learn spoken language rather than ASL. Do the observations described in your text appear to support this belief? Why or why not?

By the age of 5, children possess a vocabulary of about how many words?

Which of the following represents a single phoneme?

What evidence is consistent with the prototype theory of meaning?

To what does the concept of a critical period for language acquisition refer?

An experimenter points to an object and says "That's foff." What will children almost always guess that foff refers to?

Mae has just turned 1. Nell is almost 3. Odette is 5, and Patty is 18. Which individual's language acquisition is CORRECTLY estimated in the following?

Which of the following statements is an INCORRECT description of how we interpret sentences?

According to the definitional theory of word meaning, why do we understand the meaning of a word?

Speech can be understood at rates up to __________.

Billy's mother failed to segregate her phonemes well, so little Billy thought he heard her say the phrase "lead us not into temptation" in the Lord's Prayer as "lead us not into Penn Station." This illustrates __________.

How might one best describe the relationship, if any, between language and the external environment?

Which studies present the most convincing evidence that first languages are easiest to learn in childhood?

Almost invariably, children's first utterances are __________.

In terms of language, psychologists generally agree that chimpanzees are unable to learn __________.

Languages are composed of a hierarchy of building blocks that combine to form higher and higher-level categories. At the bottom of this hierarchy are __________.

Research Methods

Evolutionary and Genetic Influences on Behavior

The Brain and the Nervous System

Sensation

Perception

Consciousness

Learning

Memory

Thinking

Intelligence

Motivation and Emotion

Social Psychology

Development

Personality

Psychopathology

Treatment of Mental Disorders

Filters

Children tend to generalize but not .