Question 1

Which of the following has been used to explain the word-superiority effect?

Accepted Answer

Connectionist models have been used to explain the word-superiority effect, which refers to the phenomenon of people being better at recognizing and remembering individual letters presented within words than when the same letters are presented in isolation or in non-word contexts. Connectionist models suggest that this effect is due to the greater semantic and syntactic context provided by words, which facilitates the processing and recognition of individual letters.

Question 2

Which of the following is an example of the word-superiority effect?

Accepted Answer

The word-superiority effect refers to the phenomenon where people are able to identify whole words (rather than individual letters) more easily and accurately. Choice D is an example of this phenomenon, as people are able to identify the whole word "WEST" more easily than the single letter "W".

Question 3

In one study,students watched an experimenter fill two jars with sugar.They were then given two labels and instructed to put whichever label they wanted on each jar;one of the labels said "sucrose,table sugar" and the other said "not sodium cyanide,not poison." Later,when making Kool Aid,most subjects used the sugar from the jar labeled __________.These results are consistent with the idea that people __________.

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is consistent with the idea that people have difficulty processing negations or negatives in statements, thus preferring to use items labeled with straightforward, positive descriptions.

Question 4

Which of the following is consistent with the word-superiority effect?

Accepted Answer

The word-superiority effect suggests that letters are more easily recognized when they are part of a word than when they are seen in isolation or in a non-word context. Option D directly reflects this principle by stating that a single letter is identified faster when part of a whole word, compared to focusing on the letter alone.

Question 5

Which procedure is an investigator likely to use in an experiment on the word-superiority effect?

Accepted Answer

The word-superiority effect involves the ability of people to recognize letters faster and more accurately when they are presented within a word, compared to when they are presented alone or in a non-word (such as a random string of letters). To investigate this effect, an investigator would likely flash letters or words on a screen and ask what the person saw, in order to measure response times and accuracy. Choices A, B, and D do not directly relate to the word-superiority effect.

Question 6

The basic assumption behind connectionist models is that

Accepted Answer

Connectionist models assume that our perceptions and memories are represented as connections among units in a network, often compared to the structure of the human brain. This means that information is encoded through the strength of connections among nodes or units, rather than stored in specific locations. This is known as distributed processing. Choice B is incorrect as connectionist models are focused on the processing of information, not language abilities of different species. Choice C is incorrect as the connectionist model does not accept that more neurons necessarily lead to heightened memory capacity. Choice D is incorrect as while language may be a factor that affects thoughts, it is not the whole basis for the connectionist model.

Question 7

People have difficulty understanding a statement like "She is not unfriendly" because

Accepted Answer

Double negatives can be confusing because they require more cognitive effort to interpret, as the brain has to process the negation of a negation to understand the intended meaning.

Question 8

Deciding what you heard when you heard a word that contained an ambiguous sound (e.g. ,it could have been either "dent" or "tent")is influenced by

Accepted Answer

Deciding what you heard when there is an ambiguous sound in a word is primarily influenced by the immediate context following the word. The delayed context can also have some influence but to a lesser extent. The sounds of the word itself are important, but context plays a significant role in disambiguating the meaning. Choice A is tempting but the delayed context has less influence compared to the immediate context. Choice C and D are incorrect.

Question 9

You are listening to someone speak,and one of the words they say at the beginning of a sentence is muffled.The sounds you hear form a word that sounds halfway between "dent" and "tent." How will you interpret what you heard?

Accepted Answer

The answer of You are listening to someone speak,and one...

Question 10

If people are given a choice between two foods,one of which they are told is "good for you" and the other of which they are told is "not bad for you," what will happen?

Accepted Answer

Most people would prefer the food that they were told is "good for you" as it gives a positive connotation to the food and makes it seem more desirable. People tend to associate "good for you" with health and wellness.

Question 11

The ability to understand sentences such as "This store sells horse shoes,and that store sells alligator shoes" depends on our

Accepted Answer

Understanding sentences like these depend on our knowledge about the world, specifically our knowledge about what horse shoes and alligator shoes are and where we might find them.

Question 12

Which of the following types of people would be LEAST likely to show the word-superiority effect?

Accepted Answer

The word-superiority effect refers to the phenomenon where people are able to recognize letters more quickly and accurately when they are presented within words compared to when they are presented alone or in non-word strings. Someone who is just learning how to read may not yet have developed this ability, and therefore may be least likely to show the word-superiority effect.

Question 13

An investigator flashes one or more letters on a screen and asks the viewer to look at the whole set and then say the first letter (the one on the left).After which of the following displays will it be easiest to give the correct answer?

Accepted Answer

The answer of An investigator flashes one or more letters...

Question 14

In an experiment subjects heard a tape-recorded sound that sounded halfway between "dent" and "tent." In which of the sentences below would subjects be most likely to report the word as "TENT"?

Accepted Answer

The context of the sentence implies that the word should be "tent" rather than "dent." The mention of a forest and beginning a hike fits better with the word "tent" than the word "dent."

Question 15

When an experimenter flashes the letter P on the screen for a split second,you cannot identify it.Yet when the experimenter flashes PARK on the screen for the same period of time,you do identify it.This is an example of the

Accepted Answer

This is an example of the word-superiority effect, which refers to the phenomenon where people are able to better identify individual letters when they are presented as part of a whole word, rather than presented alone. In this case, the letter "P" is more difficult to identify on its own, but when it is presented as part of the word "PARK", it becomes easier to identify.

Question 16

In an experiment subjects heard a tape-recorded sound that sounded halfway between "dent" and "tent." For which of the sentences below (if any)would the subjects be equally likely to report either "DENT" or "TENT"?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In an experiment subjects heard a tape-recorded...

Question 17

The context provided by words at the end of a sentence influences

Accepted Answer

The answer of The context provided by words at the...

Question 18

An experimenter flashes one or more letters on the screen for a split second and then asks the viewer what he or she saw.Under which of the following conditions is the viewer most likely to answer correctly?

Accepted Answer

The answer of An experimenter flashes one or more letters...

Question 19

The "word superiority effect" is the observation that on the average,

Accepted Answer

The word superiority effect refers to the phenomenon where people can recognize a letter more quickly and accurately when it is presented within a familiar word than when it appears by itself or as part of a non-word. This effect has been observed in various experiments and is thought to be due to the fact that the context provided by the word helps to activate and prime the relevant representations in the brain for recognizing the letters within it.

Question 20

What is meant by the word-superiority effect?

Accepted Answer

The superiority effect refers to the phenomenon that it is easier to identify a letter when it is presented as part of a word rather than presented by itself. This is because the context of the word helps to provide additional information and cues that aid in the identification of the letter.

Quiz 8: Cognition and Language