Question 1

Michael Tomasello has suggested that language is:

Accepted Answer

A)  Like any other genetic artefact handed down by our ancestors 
B)  Unlike any other cultural artefact handed down by our ancestors 
C)  Like any other cultural artefact handed down by our ancestors 
D)  None of the above 
A)  Like any other genetic artefact handed down by our ancestors 
B)  Unlike any other cultural artefact handed down by our ancestors 
C)  Like any other cultural artefact handed down by our ancestors 
D)  None of the above C

Question 2

According to Nagy and Anderson (1984) the average high-school student knows how many words?

Accepted Answer

A)  25,000 
B)  35,000 
C)  45,000 
D)  65,000 
A)  25,000 
B)  35,000 
C)  45,000 
D)  65,000 C

Question 3

According to Baldwin et al (1996) it is not sufficient to learn the meaning of a word simply by pairing sound with object. What else is needed?

Accepted Answer

A)  Joint attention 
B)  Repetition 
C)  Emphasis 
D)  Pointing 
A)  Joint attention 
B)  Repetition 
C)  Emphasis 
D)  Pointing A

Question 4

Which of the following is not a constraint on word learning?

Accepted Answer

A)  Lexical assumption 
B)  Whole-object assumption 
C)  Mutual exclusivity assumption 
D)  Taxonomic assumption 
A)  Lexical assumption 
B)  Whole-object assumption 
C)  Mutual exclusivity assumption 
D)  Taxonomic assumption

Question 5

Lai et al. (2001) suggest that which gene on chromosome 7 may be implicated in specific language impairment:

Accepted Answer

A)  WOLFP2 
B)  DOGP2 
C)  SHEEPP2 
D)  FOXP2 
A)  WOLFP2 
B)  DOGP2 
C)  SHEEPP2 
D)  FOXP2

Question 6

Language is very much like cooperation as it is possible that someone can free ride on useful information provided by other. Which of the following would NOT be a viable solution to this particular problem of language?

Accepted Answer

A)  Indirect reciprocity 
B)  Reciprocity reciprocal altruism) 
C)  Inclusive fitness kin selection) 
D)  Manipulation 
A)  Indirect reciprocity 
B)  Reciprocity reciprocal altruism) 
C)  Inclusive fitness kin selection) 
D)  Manipulation

Question 7

The sound 'b' is technically known as

Accepted Answer

A)  A morpheme 
B)  A phoneme 
C)  A grapheme 
D)  A lexeme 
A)  A morpheme 
B)  A phoneme 
C)  A grapheme 
D)  A lexeme

Question 8

Three theories as to why language evolved are:

Accepted Answer

A)  Social grooming, altruism & mating mind 
B)  Social grooming, social contract & mating mind 
C)  Social grooming, social contract & altruism 
D)  Social grooming, social contract & reciprocity 
A)  Social grooming, altruism & mating mind 
B)  Social grooming, social contract & mating mind 
C)  Social grooming, social contract & altruism 
D)  Social grooming, social contract & reciprocity

Question 9

One feature of language is that it allows us to lie; if we all lie people will ignore what everyone says. What is the problem with this from the point of view of language evolution?

Accepted Answer

A)  Language could not be used to maintain such large groups 
B)  It would cause conflict between individuals 
C)  People could no longer make promises 
D)  Language will not be evolutionarily stable 
A)  Language could not be used to maintain such large groups 
B)  It would cause conflict between individuals 
C)  People could no longer make promises 
D)  Language will not be evolutionarily stable

Question 10

What is, according to Chomsky, the learnability argument?

Accepted Answer

A)  Language learning is not possible without social interaction 
B)  Language learning is not possible without innate constraints 
C)  Language learning happens by trial and error 
D)  Language learning is the result of positive reinforcement not punishment 
A)  Language learning is not possible without social interaction 
B)  Language learning is not possible without innate constraints 
C)  Language learning happens by trial and error 
D)  Language learning is the result of positive reinforcement not punishment

Question 11

In the statement 'the man who is wearing the brown apron is cooking sausages' the first occurrence of the word 'is' is part of the ____ phrase, the second occurrence is part of the _____ phrase.

Accepted Answer

A)  verb, noun 
B)  preposition, verb 
C)  noun, verb 
D)  verb, preposition 
A)  verb, noun 
B)  preposition, verb 
C)  noun, verb 
D)  verb, preposition

Question 12

Changing the structure of words in order to reflect their grammatical role (e.g. dog → dogs, give → gave) is known as

Accepted Answer

A)  Inflectional morphology 
B)  Derivational morphology 
C)  Syntactic morphology 
D)  Grammatical morphology 
A)  Inflectional morphology 
B)  Derivational morphology 
C)  Syntactic morphology 
D)  Grammatical morphology

Question 13

The 'Wug' test was studied by:

Accepted Answer

A)  Pinker & Bloom 
B)  Chomsky 
C)  Gopnik 
D)  Tomasello 
A)  Pinker & Bloom 
B)  Chomsky 
C)  Gopnik 
D)  Tomasello

Question 14

Which of the following is not an Indo-European language?

Accepted Answer

A)  Hindi 
B)  Turkish 
C)  German 
D)  Greek 
A)  Hindi 
B)  Turkish 
C)  German 
D)  Greek

Question 15

Natural Language and Natural Selection (1990) was written by:

Accepted Answer

A)  Pinker & Bloom 
B)  Chomsky 
C)  Gopnik 
D)  Tomasello 
A)  Pinker & Bloom 
B)  Chomsky 
C)  Gopnik 
D)  Tomasello

Question 16

Which sounds are indistinguishable from one another to Spanish speakers?

Accepted Answer

A)  's' and 'th' 
B)  'b' and 'p' 
C)  'e' and 'i' 
D)  'b' and 'v' 
A)  's' and 'th' 
B)  'b' and 'p' 
C)  'e' and 'i' 
D)  'b' and 'v'

Question 17

A big problem with investigating whether Specific Language Impairment (SLI) is genuinely specific to language is.

Accepted Answer

A)  It is rare, so sample sizes tend to be small 
B)  SLI is not homogeneous, different people might show different underlying causes 
C)  There is debate as to what aspects of cognition are specific to language 
D)  b and c 
A)  It is rare, so sample sizes tend to be small 
B)  SLI is not homogeneous, different people might show different underlying causes 
C)  There is debate as to what aspects of cognition are specific to language 
D)  b and c

Question 18

Communication (or language learning) by pointing things out in the environment is known as:

Accepted Answer

A)  Localising 
B)  Gestural speech 
C)  Indexically 
D)  Ostension 
A)  Localising 
B)  Gestural speech 
C)  Indexically 
D)  Ostension

Question 19

What is the problem with trying to unambiguously identify grammar genes?

Accepted Answer

A)  Genes are often pleiotropic, one gene can have many different effects 
B)  It is difficult to define precisely what a gene is 
C)  Genes are often polygenic, grammar will require many genes 
D)  Grammar is the interaction of genes and environmental input 
A)  Genes are often pleiotropic, one gene can have many different effects 
B)  It is difficult to define precisely what a gene is 
C)  Genes are often polygenic, grammar will require many genes 
D)  Grammar is the interaction of genes and environmental input

Question 20

Dunbar proposes that language evolved in order for humans to manage large and complex groups (social networks). What is the average social network size proposed by Dunbar?

Accepted Answer

A)  50 
B)  150 
C)  200 
D)  300 
A)  50 
B)  150 
C)  200 
D)  300

Michael Tomasello has suggested that language is:

According to Nagy and Anderson (1984) the average high-school student knows how many words?

According to Baldwin et al (1996) it is not sufficient to learn the meaning of a word simply by pairing sound with object. What else is needed?

Which of the following is not a constraint on word learning?

Lai et al. (2001) suggest that which gene on chromosome 7 may be implicated in specific language impairment:

Language is very much like cooperation as it is possible that someone can free ride on useful information provided by other. Which of the following would NOT be a viable solution to this particular problem of language?

The sound 'b' is technically known as

Three theories as to why language evolved are:

One feature of language is that it allows us to lie; if we all lie people will ignore what everyone says. What is the problem with this from the point of view of language evolution?

What is, according to Chomsky, the learnability argument?

In the statement 'the man who is wearing the brown apron is cooking sausages' the first occurrence of the word 'is' is part of the phrase, the second occurrence is part of the _ phrase.

Changing the structure of words in order to reflect their grammatical role (e.g. dog → dogs, give → gave) is known as

The 'Wug' test was studied by:

Which of the following is not an Indo-European language?

Natural Language and Natural Selection (1990) was written by:

Which sounds are indistinguishable from one another to Spanish speakers?

A big problem with investigating whether Specific Language Impairment (SLI) is genuinely specific to language is.

Communication (or language learning) by pointing things out in the environment is known as:

What is the problem with trying to unambiguously identify grammar genes?

Dunbar proposes that language evolved in order for humans to manage large and complex groups (social networks). What is the average social network size proposed by Dunbar?

Introduction to Evolutionary Psychology

Mechanisms of Evolutionary Change

Sexual Selection

The Evolution of Human Mate Choice

Cognitive Development and the Innateness Issue

Social Development

The Evolutionary Psychology of Social Behaviour Kin Relationships and Conflict

The Evolutionary Psychology of Social Behaviour Reciprocity and Group Behaviour

Evolution, Thought and Cognition

The Evolution of Emotion

Evolutionary Psychopathology and Darwinian Medicine

Evolution and Individual Differences

Evolutionary Psychology and Culture

Filters

Exam 10: The Evolution of Language

Michael Tomasello has suggested that language is:

According to Nagy and Anderson (1984) the average high-school student knows how many words?

According to Baldwin et al (1996) it is not sufficient to learn the meaning of a word simply by pairing sound with object. What else is needed?

Which of the following is not a constraint on word learning?

Lai et al. (2001) suggest that which gene on chromosome 7 may be implicated in specific language impairment:

Language is very much like cooperation as it is possible that someone can free ride on useful information provided by other. Which of the following would NOT be a viable solution to this particular problem of language?

The sound 'b' is technically known as

Three theories as to why language evolved are:

One feature of language is that it allows us to lie; if we all lie people will ignore what everyone says. What is the problem with this from the point of view of language evolution?

What is, according to Chomsky, the learnability argument?

In the statement 'the man who is wearing the brown apron is cooking sausages' the first occurrence of the word 'is' is part of the ____ phrase, the second occurrence is part of the _____ phrase.

Changing the structure of words in order to reflect their grammatical role (e.g. dog → dogs, give → gave) is known as

The 'Wug' test was studied by:

Which of the following is not an Indo-European language?

Natural Language and Natural Selection (1990) was written by:

Which sounds are indistinguishable from one another to Spanish speakers?

A big problem with investigating whether Specific Language Impairment (SLI) is genuinely specific to language is.

Communication (or language learning) by pointing things out in the environment is known as:

What is the problem with trying to unambiguously identify grammar genes?

Dunbar proposes that language evolved in order for humans to manage large and complex groups (social networks). What is the average social network size proposed by Dunbar?

Introduction to Evolutionary Psychology

Mechanisms of Evolutionary Change

Sexual Selection

The Evolution of Human Mate Choice

Cognitive Development and the Innateness Issue

Social Development

The Evolutionary Psychology of Social Behaviour Kin Relationships and Conflict

The Evolutionary Psychology of Social Behaviour Reciprocity and Group Behaviour

Evolution, Thought and Cognition

The Evolution of Emotion

Evolutionary Psychopathology and Darwinian Medicine

Evolution and Individual Differences

Evolutionary Psychology and Culture

Filters

In the statement 'the man who is wearing the brown apron is cooking sausages' the first occurrence of the word 'is' is part of the phrase, the second occurrence is part of the _ phrase.