Psych Test Bank 1 Chapter 9

Front 1

Language refers to the

A) smallest distinctive sound units.
B) rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences.
C) spoken, written, or signed words and the ways they are combined to communicate meaning.
D) rules by which we derive meaning from morphemes

Back 1

C) spoken, written, or signed words and the ways they are combined to communicate meaning.

Front 2

The smallest distinctive sound unit of language is a

A) prototype.

B) suffix.

C) morpheme.

D) phoneme.

Back 2

D) phoneme.

Front 3

The various vowel sounds that can be placed between a “t” and an “n” produce words such as tan, ten, tin, and ton. These various vowel sounds represent different

A) morphemes.

B) prototypes.

C) phonemes.

D) semantics.

Back 3

C) phonemes.

Front 4

English words are constructed from about ________ different phonemes.

A) 5

B) 6

C) 26

D) 40

Back 4

D) 40

Front 5

Morphemes are

A) the smallest speech units that carry meaning.
B) the best examples of particular categories of objects.
C) the smallest distinctive sound units of a language.
D) rules for combining words into grammatically correct sentences.

Back 5

A) the smallest speech units that carry meaning.

Front 6

In the words “helped” and “called,” the “ed” ending is a(n)

A) prototype.

B) morpheme.

C) heuristic.

D) algorithm.

Back 6

B) morpheme.

Front 7

The word “cats” contains ________ phoneme(s) and ________ morpheme(s).

A) 2; 1

B) 4; 1

C) 2; 4

D) 4; 2

Back 7

D) 4; 2

Front 8

The system of rules in a language that enables us to understand and communicate with others is called

A) an algorithm.

B) telegraphic speech.

C) grammar.

D) a heuristic.

Back 8

C) grammar.

Front 9

Semantics refers to the

A) logical and methodical procedures for solving problems.
B) orderly arrangement of words into grammatically correct sentences.
C) simple thinking strategies that facilitate quick decision making.
D) rules by which we derive meaning from morphemes, words, and sentences.

Back 9

D) rules by which we derive meaning from morphemes, words, and sentences.

Front 10

To combine words into grammatically sensible sentences, we need to apply proper rules of

A) semantics.

B) syntax.

C) nomenclature.

D) phonics.

Back 10

B) syntax.

Front 11

Mentally segmenting other's spoken sounds into individual words best illustrates a 7-month-old's capacity for

A) telegraphic speech.

B) receptive language.

C) functional fixedness.

D) productive language.

Back 11

B) receptive language.

Front 12

Using barely recognizable syllables to communicate meaning best illustrates a 12-month-old's developing capacity for

A) syntax.

B) telegraphic speech.

C) productive language.

D) the representativeness heuristic.

Back 12

C) productive language.

Front 13

The earliest stage of speech development is called the ________ stage.

A) babbling

B) telegraphic speech

C) oneword

D) grammatical

Back 13

A) babbling

Front 14

Infants are first able to discriminate speech sounds during the ________ stage.

A) one-word

B) telegraphic

C) babbling

D) syntactic

Back 14

C) babbling

Front 15

At the age of 15 months, Anita repeatedly cries “hoy” when she wants her mother to hold her. Anita is most likely in the ________ stage of language development.

A) syntactic

B) babbling

C) telegraphic speech

D) one-word

Back 15

D) one-word

Front 16

Telegraphic speech is most closely associated with the ________ stage of language development.

A) oneword

B) babbling

C) two-word

D) syntactic

Back 16

C) two-word

Front 17

Which of the following would be most characteristic of a 2-year-old's telegraphic speech?

A) “a doggy”

B) “eat apple”

C) “to store”

D) “ball pretty”

Back 17

B) “eat apple”

Front 18

B. F. Skinner emphasized the importance of ________ in language acquisition.

A) heuristics

B) algorithms

C) reinforcement

D) universal grammar

Back 18

C) reinforcement

Front 19

Noam Chomsky has emphasized that the acquisition of language by children is facilitated by

A) an inborn readiness to learn grammatical rules.
B) their ability to imitate the words and grammar modeled by parents.
C) the learned association of word sounds with various objects, events, actions, and qualities.
D) the positive reinforcement that adults give children for speaking correctly.

Back 19

A) an inborn readiness to learn grammatical rules.

Front 20

It is difficult to explain language acquisition solely in terms of imitation and reinforcement because children

A) acquire language even in the absence of social interaction.
B) resent being corrected for grammatical mistakes.
C) generate all sorts of sentences they have never heard before.
D) employ telegraphic speech patterns before their second birthday

Back 20

C) generate all sorts of sentences they have never heard before.

Front 21

When 3-year-old Rosalie complained, “Boris hitted me with a ball,” she was illustrating the tendency of young children to

A) use telegraphic speech patterns.
B) imitate the incorrect speech patterns of others.
C) receive inadequate reinforcement for correct language usage.
D) overgeneralize certain grammatical rules in sentence construction.

Back 21

D) overgeneralize certain grammatical rules in sentence construction.

Front 22

Chomsky suggested that as a child first begins hearing language, appropriate settings or standards regarding the rules of that language are activated in the child's

A) representativeness heuristic.

B) language acquisition device.

C) category hierarchy.

D) algorithm.

Back 22

B) language acquisition device.

Front 23

The best evidence that there is a critical period for language acquisition is the fact that

A) infants babble sounds that occur in their parents' native language.
B) toddlers maintain a capacity to discriminate language sounds they have never heard.
C) people most easily master the grammar of a second language during childhood.
D) preschoolers typically fail to use proper syntax

Back 23

C) people most easily master the grammar of a second language during childhood.

Front 24

Compared with deaf children exposed to sign language from birth, those who first learn sign language as teens are less likely to

A) correctly imitate the signs they are shown.
B) use signs to indicate concrete objects.
C) mentally associate signs with written words.
D) comprehend grammatical subtleties of sign language

Back 24

D) comprehend grammatical subtleties of sign language

Front 25

An impaired use of language is known as

A) functional fixedness.

B) telegraphic speech.

C) babbling.

D) aphasia.

Back 25

D) aphasia.

Front 26

After Miguel's recent automobile accident, doctors detected damage to his cerebral cortex in Broca's area. It is likely that Miguel will have difficulty

A) remembering past events.
B) speaking fluently.

C) reading.

D) understanding other people when they speak.

Back 26

B) speaking fluently.

Front 27

Wernicke's area is typically located in the left ________ lobe.

A) parietal

B) occipital

C) temporal

D) frontal

Back 27

C) temporal