Question 1

Newton has been studying English for about a month and keeps getting tripped up y irregular verbs, often saying runned instead of ran. Although technically incorrect, this shows that Newton has learned that the ____ =ed is a suffix that indicates past tense.

Accepted Answer

A)   morpheme
B)   phoneme
C)   pragmatic
D)   syntax A

Question 2

Which of the following is true about priming effects?

Accepted Answer

A)   Priming is an affective form of behavior control.
B)   Priming effects only occur in laboratory research.
C)   The chains of associations activated by a specific priming cue are the same for everyone.
D)   Priming can occur without conscious awareness. D

Question 3

Language is based on basic sound units called ___________, which typically have no meaning by themselves.

Accepted Answer

A)   phonemes
B)   morphemes
C)   semantics
D)   syntax A

Question 4

The tendency to perceive and approach problems in certain ways is called __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   mental set
B)   prototypical idealization
C)   noncompensatory modeling
D)   means-end analysis

Question 5

When a writer or artist sits down to begin a new piece of work, the creator does not know what it will sound like when it is finished. This is a(n) _____.

Accepted Answer

A)   ill-defined problem
B)   well-defined problem
C)   algorithm
D)   operator state

Question 6

Why is the relationship between satisficer/maximizer decision-making strategies and satisfaction surprising?

Accepted Answer

A)   Maximizers take more time to make the best possible choice and tend to be happier with the outcome than are satisficers.
B)   Satisficers take more time to make the best possible choice and tend to be happier with the outcome than are maximizers.
C)   Maximizers take more time to make the best possible choice and tend to be less happy with the outcome than are satisficers.
D)   Satisficers take more time to make the best possible choice and tend to be less happy with the outcome than are maximizers.

Question 7

Brenda is worried about having her six-year-old daughter learn Spanish, because she fears that learning a second language will interfere with her daughter's mastery of English. What advice should you give Brenda?

Accepted Answer

A)   Children should not try to learn languages from different families (e.g., English and Chinese) , but because Spanish and English are similar, learning a second language should have little negative effect.
B)   Learning a second language during childhood is actually beneficial to the development of language skills.
C)   Children younger than four years old should not be exposed to a second language, but it should not affect a six-year-old.
D)   This is a good strategy; children should not try to learn a second language until their preteens.

Question 8

Identify three specific nonhuman primates discussed in your textbook that researchers attempted to teach to use language. In each example, briefly describe the research and the results.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Identify three specific nonhuman primates discussed in...

Question 9

The concept of belief perseverance assumes that we are most likely to believe:

Accepted Answer

A)   the scientific method as true.
B)   information that agrees with our thinking.
C)   information that refutes our thinking.
D)   logical thinking.

Question 10

When people attempt to solve a problem involving numbers they may find themselves using another number called ____________ to keep their response within a limited range.

Accepted Answer

A)   an anchor
B)   an initial state
C)   a representativeness value
D)   an operator

Question 11

In the nine-dot problem discussed in your textbook, the rules do not specify that the lines cannot extend beyond the dots, however most people try to find a solution that follows this non-existent rule anyway. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

A)   the anchoring effect.
B)   belief perseverance
C)   a goal state
D)   a self-imposed cognitive obstacle.

Question 12

According to the idea known as_________________, the vocabulary and grammar of the language you speak can affect the way you think about the world.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to the idea known as_________________, the...

Question 13

Kendra has been a professional chef for 20 years. Instead of following recipes step-by-step, she uses her experience to guide her cooking, adding a pinch of salt here, or a little extra oil there. Kendra's approach to cooking is an example of:

Accepted Answer

A)   functional fixedness.
B)   a heuristic.
C)   a mental set.
D)   an algorithm.

Question 14

Explain the difference between algorithmic and heuristic approaches to solving problems. Then provide one algorithmic and one heuristic strategy for deciding how much paint you would need to paint your bedroom.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain the difference between algorithmic and heuristic...

Question 15

Agatha Harkness-Smythe is determined to ban guns in the United States. This is a controversial topic and social scientists have debated whether the ownership of guns by citizens increases or decreases crime. Agatha could go to the library and look up studies on the linkage between guns and crime rates. Instead, Agatha just reads the local newspaper and only cuts out articles about robberies in which the "bad guy" used a firearm. Agatha is demonstrating:

Accepted Answer

A)   mental set
B)   confirmation bias
C)   stereotype threat
D)   mindlessness

Question 16

______________ is the study of nonlinguistic elements of language use.

Accepted Answer

A)   Semantics
B)   Aphasia
C)   Syntax
D)   Pragmatics

Question 17

The sounds t, th, and sh are ___________.

Accepted Answer

A)   morphemes
B)   phonemes
C)   semantics
D)   sound bytes

Question 18

Why do young children appear to acquire language more easily than adults?

Accepted Answer

A)   There is a sensitive period during childhood during which children's brains are primed to develop language.
B)   Adults are more distracted than children, who can devote more cognitive processing to learning a new language.
C)   Children are exposed to a greater variety of vocabulary words than adults typically are.
D)   This is a common myth; children do not have an easier time learning language than adults do.

Question 19

Which example would most people take longest to identify as a fruit (even though it technically is a fruit)?

Accepted Answer

A)   grape
B)   apple
C)   orange
D)   olive

Question 20

When Howie's old girlfriend used to get upset with him, he could smooth things over by buying flowers or chocolates for her. He keeps trying this strategy with his current girlfriend, but she gets angry with him each time. It appears that Howie has developed _______________which is interfering with the development of a new relationship strategy.

Accepted Answer

A)   a mental set
B)   an anchoring effect
C)   a prototype
D)   a goal state

Exam 8: Thought and Language