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1000 chapter 9 Language and Thought

Total questions: 28

Worksheet time: 14mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Linguists define human language as a(n) ____ and ____ communication system.

a)

open; symbolic

b)

phonetic; derivational

c)

phonetic; open

d)

symbolic; derivational

2.

If language is defined as being "open," what does it mean?

a)

It can be changed over time.

b)

It allows other languages to freely borrow.

c)

It follows fixed tenets.

d)

It creates a real connection between a sound and the idea associated with it.

3.

Which of the following explains the word "syntax"?

a)

the rules for arranging words and symbols in sentences

b)

the rhythm, stress, and intonation of speech

c)

the congruity of sound units with one another and with the whole

d)

the reception and perception of speech sounds by the listener

4.

By saying the exact same sentence in almost every language, it can be demonstrated that the connection between sound and meaning is

a)

uniform

b)

coherent

c)

arbitrary

d)

phonetic

5.

Earlier species of humans, such as Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis, had, at most, very rudimentary language, called ___.

a)

protolanguage

b)

inductive language

c)

native language

d)

prelanguage

6.

Which of the following statements is true in the context of language development in infants?

a)

Language comprehension occurs in the right hemisphere of the brain, in Broca's area.

b)

Wernicke's area develops earlier than Broca's area.

c)

Language production is associated with the left-hemisphere region called Wernicke's area.

d)

The ability to understand words develops after the ability to produce words.

7.

Identify an accurate statement about the babbling stage of language development in humans.

a)

It overlaps with cooing.

b)

It includes two-word utterances.

c)

It is the last stage of language development.

d)

It is involves speaking in fully grammatical sentences.

8.

When do babies express one-word utterances?

a)

at the beginning of the cooing stage

b)

at the end of the babbling stage

c)

while they learn to utter gibberish

d)

at the end of the cooing stage

9.

According to scientists, children employ the recency effect when learning languages. It means that children usually tend to learn

a)

all the words recently used.

b)

the last word in a sentence first.

c)

the words that stand out.

d)

the first few words more.

10.

A child can form adultlike sentences at around

a)

1.5 years of age.

b)

2 years of age.

c)

3 years of age.

d)

4 years of age.

11.

What happens after neural pruning and neural wiring reach their peak?

a)

The sensitivity period ends.

b)

The process of gain field encoding begins.

c)

The sensitivity period begins.

d)

The plasticity of neural connections becomes more flexible.

12.

What is the optimal learning time for language acquisitions?

a)

0-5 months

b)

6-12 months

c)

1-2 years

d)

0-12 years

13.

Which of the following best describes child-directed speech?

a)

changes in the child's speech as a result of imitation

b)

speech that a child engages in talking to himself/herself

c)

normal adult speech patterns that are used while talking to the child

d)

changes in adult speech patterns to encourage imitation

14.

Which of the following statements reflects Skinner's belief on language?

a)

Language is not learned; it is discovered.

b)

Humans are born with a language acquisition device; therefore, language is innate.

c)

Language is something that exists because it is reinforced and shaped.

d)

Language exists particularly for the sake of interaction and conveying information between people.

15.

Skinner's explanation of language could not fully explain how humans learn languages because 

a)

it was found that imitation does not always lead to reinforcement and shaping.

b)

it did not take into account the various socioeconomic factors influencing language development.

c)

it did not explain how different children begin to utter words and sentences at different ages.

d)

it did not explain how new words were uttered without imitation and reinforcement.

16.

Which of the following statements is the central tenet of the nativist theory?

a)

Language is something that exists because it is reinforced and shaped.

b)

Language influences rather than determines people's thinking.

c)

Language is influenced greatly by socioeconomic factors.

d)

Language is discovered rather than learned.

17.

Concerning language rules, children tend to

a)

only respond to positive reinforcement.

b)

overgeneralize

c)

mostly mimic their family members and peers.

d)

find them too complex until they are several years into elementary school.

18.

Who among the following argues that humans are born with an innate, biologically based capacity to acquire language?

a)

Piaget

b)

Watson

c)

Chomsky

d)

Vygotsky

19.

With which of the following statements would linguist Noam Chomsky agree?

a)

Humans speak because they want to convey an idea or a feeling and not because they have been reinforced.

b)

All humans learn languages through reinforcement and shaping.

c)

There are many learning processes involved in language learning.

d)

There is a single universal grammar underlying all human languages.

20.

Most language theorists agree upon the perspective that 

a)

languages are learnt as a result of shaping, successive approximations, and reinforcement.

b)

social interaction, environmental input, and stimulation are of utmost importance.

c)

acquiring language involves natural abilities that are modified by the environment.

d)

the most significant factors influencing language acquisition are one's brain structures.

21.

Which of the following statements refers to the Whorf-Sapir hypothesis?

a)

Grammar is less innate and genetically influenced than is vocabulary.

b)

Language has a potential greater than that of simple symbols that goes beyond the meaning.

c)

Language creates thought as much as thought creates language.

d)

Language has a structure that is subject to manipulation.

22.

Which of the following statements describes linguistic determinism hypothesis?

a)

Language determines thinking and perceptions of the world.

b)

Thought and perceptions determine language.

c)

Environmental and genetic factors determine a language capacity.

d)

The language acquisition device (LAD) determines universal grammar.

23.

____ is defined as the influence of language on thought.

a)

Representativeness heuristic

b)

Semantics

c)

Linguistic relativism

d)

Language delay

24.

Which of the following terms refers to the shortcuts people take to make complex and uncertain decisions and judgments?

a)

forecasting

b)

heuristic

c)

regression analysis

d)

critical thinking

25.

When Samantha meets Brenda, who has a laidback attitude and long hair, she concludes that Brenda is Californian before interacting with her. However, there are many English women who have a laidback attitude and long hair. On what is Samantha's initial judgment based?

a)

a representativeness heuristic

b)

an availability heuristic

c)

a means-end analysis

d)

a regression analysis

26.

Which of the following best describes a scenario exemplifying the availability heuristic?

a)

Once Jon scores two goals, most of his teammates start passing him the ball more often on the assumption that he is "on the ball."

b)

Once the tossed coin comes down heads, Gogol expects the next coin to be more likely to be tails than heads.

c)

After a recent news story about a disastrous plane crash, Terry is skeptical about flying in an airplane.

d)

Kelly concludes that tall men are intimidating on the basis of just one bad experience with a tall man.

27.

Which of the following occurs when people say the combination of two events is more likely than either event alone?

a)

congruence bias

b)

conjunction fallacy

c)

catch-22

d)

base rate fallacy

28.

When given a choice between two or more options, humans will choose the one that is most likely to help them achieve their particular goals. This is known as

a)

innate guidance theory.

b)

rational choice theory.

c)

optimal bias theory.

d)

prospect theory.