Question 1

Which of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

Concepts are mental constructs that allow us to understand and categorize the world around us. While basic concepts may stay the same, new experiences may require the formation of new or revised concepts to fully make sense of the experience. Concepts give meaning to our experiences, and help us organize and understand the world in a more efficient and effective way. While concepts and images may be related, they are not necessarily synonymous - concepts are abstract ideas while images are more concrete visual representations.

Question 2

Ralph cannot generate an accurate list of critical differences between mice and rats, but he can still use the concepts of mice and rats in his thinking. This is because he has ________.

Accepted Answer

Developing prototypes for rats and mice means that Ralph has formed a mental image or representation of what a typical rat or mouse looks like, even if he cannot accurately list their differences. This allows him to still use the concepts in his thinking. Phonemes and morphemes refer to units of sound and meaning in language, so they are not relevant to this scenario. Confusing the concepts of rats and mice would imply that Ralph cannot differentiate between the two at all, which is not the case as he has some understanding of both.

Question 3

Before Jane enrolled in a college course on introductory psychology, she thought the study of psychology was the study of how unconscious needs and desires affect our actions. Now that she is almost halfway through the course and she has studied the same areas your text has covered, ________.

Accepted Answer

The text states that "she has studied the same areas your text has covered," implying that her knowledge of psychology has expanded beyond her initial misconception. Therefore, it can be inferred that her concept of psychology has changed.

Question 4

"Sue will have the apple." "Sue will halve the apple." These two sentences exhibit similar ________.

Accepted Answer

The similarity between these two sentences lies in their surface structure, which refers to the way the words are ordered and combined to create the sentence. The difference in meaning arises from a single phonological difference (the /h/ sound) which changes the verb "have" to "halve". Deep structure refers to the underlying meaning of a sentence, linguistic relativity refers to the concept that language affects perception and thought, and complex morphemes are multiple morphemes combined to create a word.

Question 5

A mental model containing the most typical features of a concept is called a(n) ________.

Accepted Answer

A mental model containing the most typical features of a concept is called a prototype. It is a representation of the essential features of a category, that aids in the identification of objects and situations.

Question 6

Jane's first child was born a month ago, and like many other new mothers, she often exclaims that she had no idea that an infant could be so much work. Which of the following is true?

Accepted Answer

Jane's statement suggests that her previous concept of an infant did not match the reality of caring for one. This implies that her concept has been modified through direct experience.

Question 7

When a person thinks of a concept such as "bird," the person usually ________.

Accepted Answer

When people think of a concept such as "bird," they tend to think of a prototype of a bird, which is a mental image or general representation of the typical characteristics of a bird. This is based on past experiences and exposure to a variety of birds, and is more flexible than a strict list of key attributes or an elimination of all non-bird attributes. Identification of a particular type of bird may come after the prototype is generated.

Question 8

The underlying meaning of a sentence is its ________ structure.

Accepted Answer

The underlying meaning of a sentence refers to its deep structure, which may not be immediately apparent from its surface structure.

Question 9

A mental representation of a sensory experience is known as a(n) ________.

Accepted Answer

A mental representation of a sensory experience is known as an image. Cognition refers to the mental processes such as attention, perception, memory, and language. A concept is a mental representation of a category or idea. A heuristic is a mental shortcut or rule of thumb used to make decisions or solve problems.

Question 10

Which of the following best represents the way people use concepts in thinking?

Accepted Answer

People tend to construct representative prototypes of concepts and compare new experiences to them. This is known as the prototype theory of concept formation. This theory suggests that people categorize new concepts by comparing them to a prototype, which is a mental image or representation of the most typical or ideal example of that concept.

Question 11

Most concepts that people use in thinking ________.

Accepted Answer

Most concepts that people use in thinking are fuzzy and overlap with one another. This is because concepts are mental representations of categories of things, and real-world categories often have blurry boundaries and can overlap with one another. While people can use concepts to generalize, they also allow for abstraction and can account for critical differences among various images. Short-term memory capacity may play a role in some aspects of thinking, but it is not directly related to concepts.

Question 12

The particular words and phrases that make up a sentence are its ________ structure.

Accepted Answer

The words and phrases that make up a sentence's visible or apparent structure are referred to as its surface structure. The surface structure is the arrangement of words in a sentence that we can see and hear. It is the structure that gives a sentence its grammaticality.

Question 13

The best or most typical model of a concept is called a(n) ________.

Accepted Answer

The best or most typical model of a concept is called a prototype.

Question 14

When you wish to understand a sentence, you must start with listening to the speech sounds that make up the words and phrases, decipher the meaning of each of the words and phrases, and eventually interpret the idea conveyed by the sentence. This is sometimes called a(n) ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When you wish to understand a sentence,...

Question 15

"John will study hard for his next exam." "For his next test, John will prepare very studiously." "John will devote all his studying to the next exam." These three sentences all exhibit the same ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of "John will study hard for his next...

Question 16

When you wish to communicate an idea, you start with a thought, then choose words and phrases that will express the idea, and finally produce the speech sounds that make up those words and phrases. This is what Chomsky calls a(n) ________.

Accepted Answer

Chomsky's theory of transformational generative grammar suggests that language production involves choosing linguistic forms that will accurately represent the intended meaning, and then transforming those forms into a grammatically correct sentence. This process involves generating a deep structure (the intended meaning) and then transforming it into a surface structure (the final sentence). Therefore, the correct answer is A) transformation.

Question 17

Jack had never met a professor before he went to college. However, from what he had heard, he developed a mental image of all professors being male, absent-minded, middle -aged, wearing glasses and tweed sports jackets, smoking a pipe, and speaking with a British accent. This mental image is best described as a(n) ________.

Accepted Answer

The mental image Jack developed is a concept, which is a mental category we use to group objects, events, ideas, or people that share common properties or characteristics.

Question 18

Use of a pie chart, in which each item receives a piece of the pie according to its percentage of total budget, is an example of a(n) ________.

Accepted Answer

A pie chart is a visual representation of data, making it an example of an image. It is not a concept, algorithm, or classification prototype.

Question 19

An image is a ________.

Accepted Answer

An image is a mental representation of a sensory experience. It can be visual, auditory, olfactory, or tactile in nature.

Question 20

Mental categories for classifying specific objects, people, and experiences are known as ________.

Accepted Answer

The mental categories for classifying specific objects, people, and experiences are known as concepts. Evaluations refer to judgments or opinions about something, images are mental representations of sensory information, and reflections refer to deep or serious thought about something.

Quiz 7: Cognition and Mental Abilities