Question 1

Dr.DeGroot believes that children gradually acquire language skills as neural circuits that support language develop within the brain.Dr.DeGroot further believes that these neural circuits will not develop unless children are exposed to appropriate language learning experiences.Dr.DeGroot's views most closely mirror those found in

Accepted Answer

Dr. DeGroot's views align with emergentist theories of language acquisition, which propose that language development arises from the interaction of biological, cognitive, and environmental factors. This includes the idea that children need adequate language learning experiences to develop neural circuits that support language use.

Question 2

Steven Pinker suggests that humans' language ability is a ____ that is the product of ____.

Accepted Answer

Pinker argues in his book "The Language Instinct" that humans have an innate language ability that is a result of natural selection. He believes that the ability to acquire language is a species-specific trait that has evolved over time due to its survival and reproductive benefits. While learning also plays a role in language acquisition, Pinker argues that it is not solely responsible for the incredible linguistic abilities that humans possess.

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT an item of evidence Chomsky would use to support the idea of an inborn language learning mechanism?

Accepted Answer

Chomsky would not use cultural differences in language learning as evidence for an inborn language learning mechanism, as this would suggest that language learning is solely influenced by external factors rather than an innate ability. The other choices all provide evidence for an inborn language learning mechanism, such as the ease and speed at which children learn language, the systematic nature of errors in child speech, and the similarity of language learning across diverse backgrounds.

Question 4

The hypothesized "language acquisition device" is associated with the

Accepted Answer

The "language acquisition device" is a key concept in Chomsky's nativist theory of language, which posits that humans are born with an innate ability to acquire language. The language acquisition device is thought to be a set of neural structures that allow us to unconsciously learn the grammatical rules of a language.

Question 5

Dr.Sciorro believes that because the majority of children acquire language without any effort,there must be a biological mechanism that facilitates language learning.Dr.Sciorro's views of language development most closely mirror those of

Accepted Answer

Noam Chomsky is known for his theory of Universal Grammar, which proposes that humans have an innate ability to acquire language due to a biologically determined language acquisition device in the brain. This aligns with Dr. Sciorro's belief in a biological mechanism facilitating language learning.

Question 6

Which type of theory BEST accounts for the apparent rapidity and ease of language acquisition in early childhood?

Accepted Answer

Nativist theory suggests that children are born with an innate ability to acquire language, which explains the apparent rapidity and ease of language acquisition in early childhood. This theory posits that humans have a Language Acquisition Device (LAD) that allows them to unconsciously understand and produce language.

Question 7

According to Pinker and Bloom (1992),if the acquisition of language produced a 1% difference in mortality rates among overlapping Neanderthal and human populations,Neanderthals would have become extinct in

Accepted Answer

Pinker and Bloom (1992) suggest that even a small advantage, such as a 1% difference in mortality rates due to language acquisition, would lead to the extinction of Neanderthals in about 4000 generations.

Question 8

According to the interactionist theories of language acquisition,

Accepted Answer

Interactionist theories suggest that language development is influenced by the interaction between biological predispositions and environmental experiences, where neural circuits for language develop gradually through exposure and interaction.

Question 9

Which of the following is a criticism of Skinner's model of language acquisition?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is a criticism...

Question 10

Pinker and Bloom (1992)suggest that human language may be a result of evolutionary processes because language allows humans to

Accepted Answer

Pinker and Bloom argue that language allows humans to acquire information about the world secondhand, which in turn allows for cultural evolution and transmission of knowledge across generations.

Question 11

According to Skinner,children learn a language

Accepted Answer

Skinner believed that children learn language through operant conditioning, specifically through imitation, reinforcement, and shaping. He did not believe in innate language acquisition devices or that language learning required a certain level of brain maturation.

Question 12

You are having a conversation with your psychology professor and she proposes that language evolved as a device to build and maintain social coalitions in increasingly larger groups.Which theorist would agree with her assertions?

Accepted Answer

Dunbar's social brain hypothesis suggests that language evolved as a means to build and maintain social relationships in increasingly larger groups. It proposes that language enabled humans to form and maintain social coalitions beyond the limits of grooming, which is the primary method of social bonding in other primates. Therefore, Dunbar would agree with the professor's proposal about the evolution of language.

Question 13

The theories of language acquisition that emphasize both the importance of children's learning experiences and their information-processing skills are

Accepted Answer

Emergentist theories emphasize the interaction between children's learning experiences and their information-processing skills, as language acquisition is seen as an emergent process that arises from these interactions. Social communication theories also emphasize the importance of learning experiences, but they place greater emphasis on social and cultural factors in language acquisition. Behaviorist theories focus on the role of reinforcement and conditioning in language development, while nativist theories emphasize the innate language abilities children possess.

Question 14

You are having a conversation with your psychology professor and she proposes that children acquire language the same way they learn everything else,through reinforcement and other established principles of conditioning.Which theorist would agree with her assertions?

Accepted Answer

B.F. Skinner was a behaviorist who believed that all behavior, including language acquisition, is learned through principles of conditioning, such as reinforcement and punishment. He proposed the idea of operant conditioning, which suggests that behaviors that are reinforced are more likely to be repeated in the future. This aligns with the professor's proposal that children acquire language through reinforcement and conditioning principles. David Premack, Steven Pinker, and Noam Chomsky, on the other hand, have proposed different theories of language acquisition that do not emphasize behaviorist principles of conditioning.

Question 15

Mrs.Bondle seldom corrects her 4-year-old's grammatical errors,such as "Her drinked my milk." However,she is careful to correct factual errors,such as "Tiger ate his milk." Assuming Mrs.Bondle's child develops normal language skills,her pattern of feedback would be inconsistent with

Accepted Answer

The behavioral view of language development emphasizes the role of reinforcement and correction in shaping language skills. Mrs.Bondle's pattern of feedback, in which she corrects factual errors but not grammatical errors, is inconsistent with this view as it suggests that she is not reinforcing correct grammar but rather giving priority to the accuracy of information conveyed.

Question 16

You are having a conversation with your psychology professor and he proposes that neural circuits supporting language emerge gradually in response to language learning experiences.Which type of theorist would likely agree with his assertions?

Accepted Answer

Emergentist theorists argue that language is acquired through both innate abilities and social interactions, and that neural circuits supporting language emerge gradually in response to language learning experiences. This fits with the assertion made by the psychology professor. Behaviorists would likely argue that language is solely learned through reinforcement and conditioning, while nativists would argue that language is innate and pre-programmed in the brain. Evolutionary theorists would focus on the origins and development of language throughout human evolution.

Question 17

Noam Chomsky contended that

Accepted Answer

Noam Chomsky's theory of language acquisition is based on the idea that there is an innate biological ability that guides language learning. This is known as the Universal Grammar, which suggests that there is a set of grammatical rules that are hardwired into the brain. Chomsky believed that children are not taught the rules of language, but rather have an innate ability to acquire them. Therefore, choice C is the best answer.

Question 18

The fact that overregularizations occur in many different languages as children master language skills provides evidence against

Accepted Answer

Overregularizations suggest that children apply grammatical rules too broadly, which indicates that language learning is not solely based on imitation and reinforcement, as proposed by the behavioral theory. Instead, it supports the idea that children have an innate ability to understand and apply language rules, which is contrary to the behavioral theory.

Question 19

The theories of language acquisition that focus on the development of neural circuits within the brain in response to language experience are known as

Accepted Answer

Theories of language acquisition that focus on the development of neural circuits within the brain in response to language experience are known as emergentist theories. These theories suggest that language is learned through a complex interaction between genetic predisposition and environmental input, resulting in the emergence of a neural network dedicated to language processing. The other options do not specifically focus on the development of neural circuits in response to language experience.

Question 20

According to learning theory,children's vocabularies increase and their pronunciation improves as

Accepted Answer

According to learning theory, reinforcement plays a key role in language development. Parents often reinforce children's language by responding more positively to closer approximations of correct words, which encourages improvement in vocabulary and pronunciation.

Quiz 8: Language and Thought

Steven Pinker suggests that humans' language ability is a that is the product of .