Question 1

Seth tells his friend that he got two tickets to a big concert next week,to which his friend replies,"Get out of town!" Because of the context,Seth knows his friend is expressing excitement and doesn't really want him to leave town.This is an example of

A)pragmatics.
B)linguistic relativity.
C)semantics.
D)syntax.

A

Accepted Answer

This scenario is an example of pragmatics, which refers to the study of how people use language in context to convey meaning beyond the literal definition of words or grammar rules. In this case, Seth's friend's statement "Get out of town!" is not meant to be taken literally, but rather as an expression of excitement. Seth is able to understand his friend's intended meaning based on their shared understanding of common expressions and social context.

Question 2

The smallest units of language that convey meaning are known as&#10;A)semantics.&#10;B)morphemes.&#10;C)phonemes.&#10;D)syntaxes.

Accepted Answer

Morphemes are the smallest units of language that carry meaning. They can be divided into two categories: free morphemes, which can stand alone as words, and bound morphemes, which must be attached to other morphemes to create meaning. For example, "book" is a free morpheme, but the "-s" added to make "books" is a bound morpheme. Phonemes are the smallest units of sound in language, while semantics refers to the meaning of words and sentences, and syntax refers to the rules governing sentence structure.

Question 3

The linguistic relativity hypothesis suggests that&#10;A)the way we think about categories affects the language we use.&#10;B)our perception influences the language we use.&#10;C)words are organized mentally based on their relationship to each other.&#10;D)the language that we use affects how we think about the world.

Accepted Answer

The linguistic relativity hypothesis, also known as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, suggests that the language that we use affects how we think about the world. This implies that our language determines our perception, cognition, and behavior.

Question 4

When Kwan's computer stopped working,he called the company's technical support line.The technician followed a predetermined set of steps from a manual to diagnose and help Kwan fix his computer over the phone.The steps that the technician followed are an example of a(n)

A)algorithm.
B)mental set.
C)semantic network.
D)heuristic.

Accepted Answer

The predetermined set of steps followed by the technician is an example of an algorithm, which is a step-by-step problem-solving procedure.

Question 5

According to classical categorization,people use specific _____ to decide if an object belongs to a specific category.&#10;A)prototypes&#10;B)schemas&#10;C)rules&#10;D)grades

Accepted Answer

According to classical categorization, people use specific rules to categorize an object. These rules usually involve defining specific features or characteristics that the object must possess in order to belong to a certain category. For example, in order for an object to be classified as a bird, it must possess certain defining features such as wings and feathers. This approach to categorization emphasizes the importance of clear and well-defined rules or criteria for classification.

Question 6

People often overestimate the danger of shark attacks because it is often easy to think of news stories and reports of shark attacks.This is an example of how the _____ can sometimes lead to poor judgments.

A)availability heuristic
B)anchoring effect
C)conjunction fallacy
D)representativeness heuristic

Accepted Answer

The availability heuristic is a cognitive shortcut where people base their judgments on how easily something comes to mind. In the case of shark attacks, people often overestimate the danger because news stories and reports of attacks are readily available in the media. This can lead to poor judgments and an overestimation of the actual risk.

Question 7

The &#34;sensitive period&#34; for language refers to&#10;A)a period of time in our ancestral past when language first evolved.&#10;B)a period of time during gestation when the language areas of the brain develop.&#10;C)a time during which an individual is learning a new language.&#10;D)a time during childhood when children are especially wired to learn language.

Accepted Answer

The sensitive period for language refers to a time during childhood when children are especially wired to learn language. During this period, children have a heightened capacity for learning language and are able to acquire language skills more quickly and easily than at any other time in their lives. This period typically ends around puberty, after which language acquisition becomes more difficult.

Question 8

Han and Bert both bought the same new cell phone.Han spent several weeks reviewing the dozens of different phones and reading reviews online,trying to find the best phone possible for his needs.Bert simply bought the first phone that met his needs.Given the research on maximizers and satisficers,which is most likely to be the outcome?

A)Han and Bert will end up equally satisfied about their purchases.
B)Han will be more satisfied with his purchase than Bert.
C)Bert will be more satisfied with his purchase than Han.
D)Han will spend less time researching his purchase next time.

Accepted Answer

Research on maximizers (those who strive to make the best possible decision) and satisficers (those who aim for "good enough") suggests that satisficers, like Bert, tend to be more satisfied with their decisions. Maximizers, like Han, may experience more regret or second-guessing, even if they make a technically better choice, because they are more aware of the alternatives they didn't choose.

Question 9

Studies in which researchers have attempted to teach language to non-human animals have generally found that&#10;A)chimpanzees and gorillas are the only animal species that can fully learn language.&#10;B)some animals are capable of learning elements of human language.&#10;C)animals are incapable of learning even the most basic elements of human language.&#10;D)dolphins are the only animal species that can fully learn language.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that some animals, such as chimpanzees, gorillas, and certain birds, are capable of learning elements of human language, such as sign language or simple vocalizations. However, no non-human animal has been found to fully learn and use human language in the way that humans do. Therefore, option B is the correct choice. Options A, C, and D are all incorrect, as they overgeneralize or make inaccurate claims about the abilities of non-human animals to learn language.

Question 10

Wernicke's area is most closely associated with&#10;A)speech production.&#10;B)muscle control of the mouth and tongue.&#10;C)cognitively composing words.&#10;D)understanding language.

Accepted Answer

Wernicke's area is located in the left temporal lobe and is responsible for understanding language, including spoken and written language.

Deck 8: E: Thought and Language