Question 1

Part of Chapter 9 discusses a comparison between reading and listening to spoken language.When you read,you are

Accepted Answer

When you read, the language input is usually more carefully crafted and edited, leading to a higher likelihood of encountering error-free language.

Answer: D 
 When you read, words are usually presented with clear-cut visual boundaries, whereas in spoken language, there may be blending or overlapping between words that make it harder to detect these clear-cut boundaries.

Question 2

In general,the right hemisphere of the brain is more likely than the left hemisphere to emphasize

Accepted Answer

The right hemisphere of the brain is generally more involved in the processing of emotional information, including the interpretation of the emotional tone of a message. This is in contrast to the left hemisphere, which is more involved in processing language and speech perception.

Question 3

Eye tracking studies such as the experiment by Tanenhaus and colleagues suggest that our interpretation of the grammar of a sentence

Accepted Answer

Eye tracking studies have shown that nonlinguistic context, such as the visual environment, can influence our interpretation of the grammar of a sentence. For example, participants in the Tanenhaus et al. study took longer to process the sentence "put the apple on the towel in the box" when there was a picture of a towel hanging from a hook nearby, suggesting that the visual context affected their interpretation of the preposition "on".

Question 4

According to the discussion of neurolinguistics,

Accepted Answer

The discussion of neurolinguistics suggests that language is primarily localized in the left hemisphere of the brain for most people. While there are some exceptions, this is generally considered to be the case.

Question 5

When a sentence in a written passage contains an ambiguous word,

Accepted Answer

Research in psycholinguistics suggests that when readers encounter an ambiguous word, they often pause, even if momentarily, to process the different potential meanings of the word. This processing can involve considering the context to determine which meaning is most appropriate in the given situation.

Question 6

During the past decade,researchers have increasingly used the ____ technique to investigate language in humans.

Accepted Answer

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has become increasingly popular for investigating language in humans over the past decade due to its non-invasive nature and its ability to measure brain activity by detecting changes associated with blood flow.

Question 7

According to the introductory discussion of the reading process,

Accepted Answer

The introductory discussion states that reading "is a complex cognitive process that relies heavily on a variety of other skills and processes," indicating that it is not a modular process. While the reading rate of the average adult is mentioned, it is not the main focus of the discussion. The discussion also suggests that people may not be able to introspect accurately about the cognitive processes required while reading, contradicting option D. Therefore, option C is the best choice.

Question 8

Chapter 9 describes the mirror system.This system could be relevant in neurolinguistics because mirror neurons:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Chapter 9 describes the mirror system.This system...

Question 9

In contrast to spoken language,written language is more likely

Accepted Answer

The answer of In contrast to spoken language,written language is...

Question 10

Suppose that a friend asks you,"Is it true that the left hemisphere of the brain handles all language processing tasks?" Your response should be,

Accepted Answer

While it is generally true that the left hemisphere of the brain handles a majority of language processing, recent research has shown that the right hemisphere also plays an important role, particularly in tasks involving abstract language and metaphorical expressions. Therefore, option D is the correct answer, as it acknowledges that there is some truth to the claim that the left hemisphere is dominant in language processing, but also recognizes the role of the right hemisphere. Options A, B, and C are incorrect as they give incomplete or inaccurate information about language processing in the brain.

Question 11

Neurolinguists have demonstrated that _________ is active when people complete a Stroop task,and also when people process syntactically ambiguous sentences.

Accepted Answer

Broca's area is known to be involved in the processing of complex tasks such as the Stroop task and in the processing of syntactically ambiguous sentences, indicating its role in both language processing and executive function.

Question 12

When the fMRI technique is used in studying language comprehension,

Accepted Answer

Studies using fMRI for language comprehension have shown that both the left and right hemisphere are active, but their functions are somewhat different. The left hemisphere is primarily responsible for language processing, while the right hemisphere appears to be involved in more global aspects of language comprehension, such as integrating context and pragmatic information.

Question 13

English is more challenging than many other world languages because:

Accepted Answer

The answer of English is more challenging than many other...

Question 14

Which of the following students provides the most accurate statement about neurolinguistics research?

Accepted Answer

While it is generally accepted that the left hemisphere of the brain handles most language tasks, there is evidence to suggest that the right hemisphere can also play a role in certain aspects of language processing, such as processing abstract components. Therefore, Laura's statement is the most accurate. Augusto's statement is incorrect as language processing is primarily handled by the left hemisphere in right-handed individuals. Heidi's statement is also incorrect as there are differences in hemispheric specialization between right- and left-handed individuals. Esther's statement is also incorrect as the right hemisphere does play a role in language processing to some extent.

Question 15

In contrast to written language,spoken language is especially likely

Accepted Answer

Spoken language often requires the listener to use working memory to hold onto the words and meaning as they are being spoken, since they cannot go back and "re-read" spoken words as they can with written text.

Question 16

If you use the direct-access route while reading,

Accepted Answer

The direct-access route while reading involves recognizing a word based on the visual stimulus of the letters in a word, which corresponds to option D. This means that readers using this route do not need to rely on sounding out the word and recognizing it based on its component sounds (option A). It also does not necessarily involve accessing easy and difficult words differently (option B) or emphasizing pronunciation (option C).

Question 17

Suppose that you ask a stranger what time it is,and he produces several wordy sentences that don't seem to make sense.Without knowing additional information,you would suspect that he has

Accepted Answer

Wernicke's aphasia is characterized by fluent but nonsensical speech, including the production of wordy sentences that may not make sense, fitting the description provided.

Question 18

Suppose that you are working with an elderly woman who had a stroke.She is looking at her radio,and you ask her if the radio is broken.With great effort,she says,"Not working." Based on this information,you would most likely suspect that she has

Accepted Answer

The woman's ability to understand language and produce speech with effort suggests that she has a language disorder, which is consistent with aphasia. Her ability to produce single words but not fluent sentences indicates Broca's aphasia, which is characterized by non-fluent speech with preserved comprehension. Pragmatic difficulties, Wernicke's aphasia, and retrograde amnesia are not consistent with the woman's symptoms as described.

Question 19

According to the current explanation for how we process an ambiguous word,

Accepted Answer

Initially, activation builds up for the most familiar meanings of a word, and then context helps to eliminate the irrelevant meanings. This is known as the "selection by elimination" idea.

Question 20

Which of the following students' statements provides the best summary of the information on aphasia?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following students' statements provides...

Quiz 9: Language I: Introduction to Language and Language Comprehension