chapter 9 thinking and language
concept
A mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people is known as a(n): prototype. concept. heuristic. analogy.
inhibit
A person's ability to _____ one language while using their other language is known as the bilingual advantage.
belief perseverence
A potential source of irrationality is _____, the tendency to cling to beliefs in the face of contradictory evidence. belief bias belief perseverance confirmation bias availability heuristic
heuristic
A problem-solving strategy that is usually fast but error-prone is known as a(n) _____.
heuristic
A simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgments and solve problems efficiently is known as a(n): heuristic. insight. algorithm. prototype.
hueristic
A simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgments and solve problems efficiently is known as a(n): heuristic. prototype. algorithm. insight.
concepts
Pigeons can reliably discriminate pictures of cars from pictures of chairs. This best illustrates their capacity to develop: algorithms. heuristics. concepts. syntax.
conceptualizing
Pigeons can reliably discriminate pictures of cars from pictures of chairs. This provides evidence that pigeons are capable of _____.
mental set
Pigeons can reliably discriminate pictures of cars from pictures of chairs. This provides evidence that pigeons are capable of _____.
morphemes
Prefixes such as "un," "pre," and "re" are examples of: semantics. phonemes. syntax. morphemes.
24
Raul has begun using two-word sentences such as "Mommy food" when he talks to his parents. He is about how old? 12 months 24 months 18 months 30 months
cultural diversity
Researchers studying chimpanzees in the wild report that they have found at least 39 customs that are specific to local chimpanzee groups. Differences in tool use, grooming, and courtship rituals can be accounted for by: genetics. linguistics. confirmation bias. cultural diversity.
universal grammer
Shortly after their daughter, Tiffany, was born, Jeremy and Tara moved from Nebraska to New Zealand to work with the native population. After a few years there they notice that their daughter began to speak English as well as Maori, the language of the native New Zealanders. This is an example of: universal grammar. two-word stage. receptive language. the one-word stage.
linguistic determinism
When bilingual Canadian students, born in China, describe themselves in English, they make the positive self-statements typical of Canadians. When these same students describe themselves in Chinese, their self-descriptions are more typically in alignment with Chinese values. This difference in thinking is evidence for: belief perseverance. telegraphic speech. syntax. linguistic determinism.
intuition
When making each day's hundreds of judgments and decisions, we often refer to: a prototype. intuition. framing. insight .
wolfgang
While studying chimpanzees, _____ observed that animals have the ability to display insight. Wolfgang Köhler B.F. Skinner Sigmund Freud Benjamin Whorf
linguistic determinism
Whorf's hypothesis that language determines the way we think. (p. 359)
2 year old
You have "adopted" a great ape at the zoo, and you have observed it very closely for the past year. You have noticed its capacity for language acquisition, which is similar to that observed in: African gray parrots. pigeons. 8-year-old humans. 2-year-old humans.
telagraphic speech
early speech stage in which a child speaks like a telegram—"go car"—using mostly nouns and verbs. (p. 352)
aphasia
impairment of language, usually caused by left-hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke's area (impairing understanding). (p. 356)
grammer
in a language, a system of rules that enables us to communicate with and understand others. In a given language, semantics is the set of rules for deriving meaning from sounds, and syntax is the set of rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences. (p. 350)
merphome
in a language, the smallest distinctive sound unit. (p. 350)
phenome
in a language, the smallest distinctive sound unit. (p. 350)
intuition
n effortless, immediate, automatic feeling or thought, as contrasted with explicit, conscious reasoning. pg. 341
language
our spoken, written, or signed words and the ways we combine them to communicate meaning. (p. 349)
cognition
_____ is/are the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating. Grammar Framing Cognition Heuristics
bilingual advantage
_____ refers to children's ability to learn to inhibit one language while using their other language. Monolingual advantage Multilingual advantage Trilingual advantage Bilingual advantage
syntax
_____ refers to the rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences in a given language. Heuristics Semantics Syntax Insight
semantics
_____ refers to the set of rules by which people derive meaning from sounds in a given language. Phoneme Concept Semantics Syntax
concept
a mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people. 338
prototype
a mental image or best example of a category. Matching new items to a prototype provides a quick and easy method for sorting items into categories (as when comparing feathered creatures to a prototypical bird, such as a robin). 338
algorithm
a methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem. Contrasts with the usually speedier—but also more error-prone—use of heuristics. 339
heuristic
a simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgments and solve problems efficiently; usually speedier but also more error-prone than algorithms. 339
insight
a sudden realization of a problem's solution; contrasts with strategy-based solutions. (p. 339)
mental set
a tendency to approach a problem in one particular way, often a way that has been successful in the past. (p. 340)
confirmation bias
a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence. 340
two word stage
beginning about age 2, the stage in speech development during which a child speaks mostly in two-word statements. (p. 352)
babbling stage
beginning at about 4 months, the stage of speech development in which the infant spontaneously utters various sounds at first unrelated to the household language. (p. 351)
wrong
According to the concept of belief perseverance, when faced with evidence which conflicts with a person's point of view on a controversial issue, that person tends to assume the information is _____.
200
According to the text, Rico is a border collie that has a _____ vocabulary for objects. Researchers assume that he can infer that an unfamiliar sound refers to an object he's never seen before. 100-word 200-word 50-word 25-word
thinking, thought
According to the text, _____ affects our language, which then affects our _____. thinking; thought thinking; beliefs acting; actions acting; imagery
think
According to the text, to expand language is to expand the ability to: reflect. think. misunderstand. act.
linguistic determinism
Ahote is a 25-year-old Hopi. The Hopi have no past tense for their verbs, and it is very difficult for Ahote to readily think about the past. Benjamin Whorf would suggest that this is caused by: linguistic determinism. functional fixedness. telegraphic speech. confirmation bias.
linguistic determinisim
Akira was born to a Japanese-speaking mother and English-speaking father and is fluent in both languages. She recently participated in a study of bilingual university students. When she took a personality test in Japanese she had very different results than when she took the same test in English. According to Benjamin Whorf, this difference is caused by: unreliable tests. linguistic determinism. invalid tests. self-serving bias.
algorithm
Although we may use trial and error to solve a problem, following a(n) _____, which is a step-by-step procedure, provides a guaranteed solution. heuristic confirmation bias insight algorithm
aphasia
An inability to speak or understand language is known as: apraxia. aphasia. agnosia. dyspraxia.
confirmation bias
An obstacle to problem solving is _____, which is the tendency to accept only information that supports our existing beliefs. confirmation bias intuition belief perseverance overconfidence
2
Ape language appears to be less complex than human adult language. In addition, ape vocabularies and sentences are simpler, much like those of a _____-year-old child. 2 3 4 5
12 months
At _____, most children are in the one-word stage. 8 months 4 months 12 months 25 months
transmitting cultural innovations
At the zoo, a group of chimpanzees has found a way to groom each other with branches from a fake tree in their cage. The younger chimpanzees invented this grooming technique and are passing it on to their peers and offspring. Thus, they are: suffering from functional fixedness. transmitting cultural innovations. creating a syntax. using telegraphic speech.
increeased word power
Bilingual children learn to inhibit one language while using their other language. Thus, if asked to say whether a sentence is grammatically correct ("Why is the cat barking so loudly?"), bilingual children can focus more quickly on grammar alone. According to Wallace Lambert and colleagues, this bilingual advantage may be caused by: regression toward the mean. positive reinforcement. increased word power. opponent-process theory.
4 months
By around _____ of age, babies enter a babbling stage of language development. 4 months 6 months 2 months 8 months
10 months
By the age of _____, an infant's typical babbling has changed so that a trained ear can identify the language of the household. 10 months 8 months 6 months 12 months
consider the opposite point of view.
Charles Lord conducted an experiment in which he was able to lessen the effects of belief perseverance by getting subjects to: be objective and unbiased. examine both sides of the issue. consider the opposite point of view. review the major reasons why they felt as they did.
There is little evidence that apes can equal even a 3-year-old's ability to order words with proper syntax.
Critics of ape language research have argued which of the following? There is little evidence that apes can equal even a 3-year-old's ability to order words with proper syntax. Apes easily acquire their limited vocabulary. Apes cannot use symbols meaningfully. Ape language is not just an imitation of the trainer's behavior.
language on thought
During a lecture, a professor says, "A child learns language as he interacts with his caregivers." This generic use of the pronoun "he" and "his" is more likely to trigger images of males than of females. This best illustrates the impact of: insight on decision making. functional fixedness on problem solving. telegraphic speech on concept formation. language on thought.
intuition
Fast, automatic, and unreasoned feeling and thought is known as: intuition. insight. framing. overconfidence.
availability hueristic
If someone estimates the likelihood of events based on the ease with which they retrieve them from memory, they presume such events are common. This is called the _____.
availability heuristic
If someone estimates the likelihood of events based on the ease with which they retrieve them from memory, they presume such events are common. This is called: confirmation bias. the belief perseverance. the availability heuristic. overconfidence.
availability heuristic
If someone estimates the likelihood of events based on the ease with which they retrieve them from memory, they presume such events are common. This is called: the belief perseverance. confirmation bias. the availability heuristic. overconfidence.
numbers
If the intent is to frighten people from engaging in a potentially dangerous situation or behavior, it is best to use: percentages. bar graphs. charts. numbers.
outcome
In studies, improved academic performance was more closely associated with visualizing effective studying, rather than visualizing an A on the grade list, beaming with joy, and feeling proud. The latter is known as _____ simulation.
syntax
In the English language, adjectives are typically placed before nouns (e.g., "green car"). This illustrates an English language rule of: algorithms. syntax. semantics. phonemes.
40
In the English language, there are about _____ phonemes, which can be combined to form more than 100,000 morphemes.
people sometimes think in images rather than words
In the relationship between thinking and language, which is true? People sometimes think in images rather than in words. "Real" thinking requires the use of language. If a thought cannot be expressed in a particular language, it also cannot occur to speakers of that language. Playing an instrument engages thinking and language simultaneously.
billingual people, in one of their two languages
Linguistic determinism suggests that _____ think differently when they are speaking _____. children; out loud bilingual people; in one of their two languages people; to their animals adults and children; to each other
benjamin
Many bilinguals report that they have different senses of self depending on which language they are using. They may even reveal different personality profiles when taking the same test in their two languages. This seems to support the linguistic determinism hypothesis of _____.
Linguistic determinism predicts that language shapes your thinking.
Many instructors use the generic pronoun "he" when referring to psychologists and the generic pronoun "she" when referring to administrative assistants. In your mind, you automatically think of psychologists as men and administrative assistants as women. Why? Linguistic determinism predicts that language shapes your thinking. Classical conditioning causes you to pair the gender with the occupation. Linguistic determinism predicts that your thinking shapes your language. It is caused by availability statistics.
prototype
Matching new items to a(n) _____ provides a quick and easy method for sorting items into existing mental categories.
higher than
Mental practice has been used to try to improve academic performance. In Shelley Taylor's study (1998), students who were asked to visualize themselves studying effectively had scores that were _____ students who were asked to visualize themselves seeing their A on the grade list. both higher and lower than higher than equal to lower than
phenome
Native German speakers pronounce the English word "that" as "dat." This demonstrates their difficulty pronouncing an English: heuristic. phoneme. prototype. morpheme.
all
Researchers who are convinced that animals can think point to evidence that: chimpanzees use branches, stones, and other objects as tools in their natural habitats. parrots demonstrate the ability to "count" by learning to touch pictures of objects in ascending numerical order. chimpanzees invent grooming and courtship customs and pass them on to their peers. All of these things are evidence than animals can think.
tends to trigger images of males but NOT females for both children and adults.
Several studies have indicated that the generic pronoun "he": tends to trigger images of both males and females for both children and adults. tends to trigger images of both males and females for adults, but to trigger images of males for children. tends to trigger images of males but NOT females for both children and adults. tends to trigger images of females about one-fourth of the time for both children and adults.
nouns
Sharon is just learning to speak. She says words like "da-da," "kitty," and "ma-ma." This is not unusual because, whatever the language, when children begin to speak, they tend to use mostly: verbs. nouns. adjectives. adverbs.
left frontal
Sharon's car accident was both emotionally and physically traumatic. She developed aphasia, which left her without the ability to express herself linguistically, because of damage to her _____ lobe.
billingual advantage
The ability to inhibit one language while using another language is known as the _____.
his increased word power
Sinjon is fluent in both English and French. His parents spoke both languages to him when he was a very young child. Sinjon has an amazing capacity to inhibit his attention to irrelevant information, which helps him as he does simultaneous interpretation. Linguists would suggest that his ability to focus may be caused by a bilingual advantage resulting from: his practice at interpretation. reciprocal determinism. his increased word power. his spatial intelligence.
those who had rehearsed mentally showed improvemenrt
Some athletes use mental practice to try to improve performance. In one study, a group of people threw darts 24 times at a target. Next, half of the group mentally practiced throwing 24 darts. Finally, the entire group threw 24 more darts. What were the results of this study? Those who had rehearsed mentally showed improvement. Everyone went up equally in performance. Those who had rehearsed mentally did not improve. Everyone declined equally in performance.
imaging
Sometimes, mental _____ can help a person achieve an academic or athletic goal as much as actual practice of the activity.
mental set
Students will tend to study the same way for every class they are taking, especially when they have been successful. This is an example of a(n): mental set. confirmation bias. fixation. belief perseverance.
watching
Studies show that for someone who has learned a skill, such as playing the cello, even _____ the activity will activate the brain's internal simulation of it.
to pull in a longer stick, which he used to reach the banana
Sultan, a chimpanzee studied by Wolfgang Köhler, displayed evidence for animal cognition. He was given a short stick that could not reach a banana, but then seemed to have an "Aha!" experience. He used the short stick: to bang on the cage to get Wolfgang Köhler's attention. to pull in a longer stick, which he used to reach the banana. as a weapon to scare off other chimpanzees. to pull in a longer stick, which he used to poke Wolfgang Köhler.
linguistic determinisim
The Brazilian Piraha language has words for the numbers "1" and "2." Any numbers greater than "2" are referred to as "many." Shown seven nuts in a row, people who speak this language find it difficult to lay out the same number in their own pile. This suggests that their words influence the way they think and is evidence for: hindsight bias. belief perseverance. statistical significance. linguistic determinism.
40, 869
The English language has about _____ phonemes. Researchers have identified about _____ different phonemes in human speech. 40; 250 40; 869 100; 1311 100; 252
benjamin
The Hopi do not have a past tense for their verbs. According to _____, this suggests that they cannot readily think about the past, because language imposes conceptions of reality. Noam Chomsky Benjamin Whorf B.F. Skinner Steven Pinker
60,000
The average person knows about _____ words by the time of his or her high school graduation. 90,000 60,000 30,000 120,000
against
The basketball term slam dunk was coined after the act itself had become fairly common. This might be used as evidence _____ the linguistic determinism hypothesis.
algorithms
The garage where Quinn works has specific step-by-step procedures, or _____, for fixing car engines.
people with no word for a certain shape can still perceive that shape accurately.
The linguistic determinism hypothesis could be challenged by the finding that: people with no word for a certain shape can still perceive that shape accurately. chimps can learn to communicate spontaneously by using sign language. the Inuit language contains a number of words for snow, whereas English has only one. infants' babbling contains many phonemes that do not occur in their own language and that they therefore cannot have heard.
cognition
The mental activitiy associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating is known as: framing. intuition. grammar. cognition.
cognition
The mental activity associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating is known as _____.
cognition
The mental process of forming concepts is an example of _____.
gender-free
The sentence, "Man, like other mammals, nurses his young," sounds peculiar to many people because generic words such as he, his, and man are not truly _____.
grammer
The set of rules for establishing meaning from sounds and the placement of words into sensible sentences is known as: semantics. phoneme. grammar. syntax.
semantics
The study of _____ encompasses how meaning is constructed, paraphrased, interpreted, contradicted, obscured, illustrated, simplified, and negotiated. syntax phonemes algorithms semantics
insight
The sudden realization that we have solved a problem is called: a heuristic. insight. a prototype. confirmation bias.
overconfidance
The tendency to be more confident than correct is known as: overconfidence. intuition. belief perseverance. insight.
japenese
The text notes that _____ has many words for interpersonal emotions such as sympathy; this contrasts with English, which has a rich vocabulary for self-focused emotions such as anger. Russian Polish German Japanese
babbling
The vocal sounds NOT included in one's native language first begin to disappear from usage toward the end of the _____ stage of language development. one-word two-word babbling telegraphic
phenomes
To say the word bat, people utter the _____ b, a, and t.
percents
To scare people, you should frame risks as numbers, not _____.
procedural
To turn on cold water in your bathroom, in which direction do you turn the handle? To answer this question, you probably thought not in words but with _____ memory.
receptive language
Tom and Linda's young infant, Jake, is just starting to pay attention to their faces when they speak to him. Jake has hit which milestone? productive language receptive language two-word stage one-word stage
prototype
We more quickly recognize that a blue jay is a bird than that a penguin is a bird because a blue jay more closely resembles our _____ of a bird. prototype heuristic algorithm phoneme
cognition
all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating. 338
belief perseverance
clinging to one's initial conceptions after the basis on which they were formed has been discredited.
brocas area
controls language expression—an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech. (p. 356)
wernicks area
controls language reception—a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe. (p. 356)
availability heuristic
estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory; if instances come readily to mind (perhaps because of their vividness), we presume such events are common. (p. 341)
concepts
mental groupings of similar objects, events, ideas, and people.
one word stage
the stage in speech development, from about age 1 to 2, during which a child speaks mostly in single words. (p. 352)
overconfidence
the tendency to be more confident than correct—to overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs and judgments. (p. 343)
framing
the way an issue is posed; how an issue is framed can significantly affect decisions and judgments. (p. 344)
