Psychology: Language & Problem Solving Topic Test

Which of the following statements concerning bilingualism is not correct?

A. Research indicates that bilingualism has serious negative effects on language development.

What does the subjective utility of a decision involve?

A. The probability that the decision an individual makes will be the incorrect one.

In the third step of the problem solving process, in which one generates a range of solutions, one should __________.

A. avoid ruling our or selecting a solution

A __________ is an effort or strategy to achieve a goal or a solution to a problem that is not readily apparent.

A. concept

The tendency to search for information until finding something that matches one's own feelings is referred to as _________ .

A. confirmation bias

How many phonemes are there in the word "dogs"?

A. four

Losing 50 dollars may affect one's level of happiness more than winning 50 dollars. This illustrates the concept of __________ aversion.

A. loss

Some researchers suggest that primates are able to do all of the following except __________.

A. master rules of syntax

Read the example below and answer the question that follows. John was asked to solve a series of six math problems. He was able to solve the first five problems using a specific sequence of operations. John got stuck on the sixth problem because the solution he used before did not work. John is most likely experiencing __________.

A. mental set

__________ was a nativist theorist who believed that individuals were born with an innate device or process that assisted in language development.

B. Noam Chomsky

Which problem solving strategy looks at every possible alternative?

B. algorithm

How could semantics be defined?

B. as a set of rules that is concerned with understanding the meaning of words

Anthony needs to buy a new phone, so he narrows down the list of possible phones by eliminating those that don't meet certain criteria. Which strategy is Anthony most likely using?

B. elimination by aspects strategy

An innate mechanism that assists individuals in the development of language is the __________.

B. language acquisition device (LAD)

The hypothesis that language shapes thought is known as __________.

B. linguistic relativity

The tendency to have more confidence in judgment and decisions than one should, based on probability or past experience is __________.

B. overconfidence

The __________ heuristic is the method in which one chooses the alternative they recognize and infers that it has greater value.

B. recognition

The rules of language dictating how phrases and sentences are constructed refers to the __________ property of language.

B. structured

A child who says, "Give cookie," rather than "Will you give me a cookie?" is demonstrating __________.

B. telegraphic speech

How many morphemes are there in the word "bats"?

B. two

Risky decision making occurs when an individual makes a decision __________.

B. under uncertain conditions

__________ refers to the set of rules concerned with understanding the meaning of words and word combinations.

C. Semantics

__________, which varies among languages, is the set of rules for arranging words into sentences.

C. Syntax

Individuals who have difficulty using a tool for anything other than its proper use may have difficulty solving a problem due to __________.

C. experiencing functional fixedness

Having a lot of choices when making a decision could cause someone to __________.

C. feel post-decision regret

In relation to potato chips, consumers respond better to advertisements that describe them as being 75 percent fat free than having 25 percent of fat. This illustrates the concept of __________.

C. framing

When a person's first language affects the pronunciation and grammatical pattern of the second language, it is called __________.

C. linguistic interference

Becoming aware of the multiple meanings of spoken or written language, such as recognizing metaphors and sarcasm, is __________.

C. metalinguistic awareness

Problem solving is an active effort to attain a goal that is __________.

C. not readily attainable

A child who says, "My toy car breaked," or "I runned up the hill," is demonstrating __________.

C. overregularization

In the decision-making process, the last step is to __________.

C. select the option

The use of spoken sound and written words to represent objects, ideas, and events refers to the __________ property of language.

C. symbolic

Mark is 6'4, weighs 200 pounds, and is very muscular. People who think that Mark is more likely to be a football player than an engineer are victims of __________.

C. the representativeness heuristic

When one uses intermediate steps or tasks to reach a goal, he or she is using the heuristic strategy of __________.

C. using subgoals

The heuristic that allows one to see the problem from a different perspective and is most effective if there is a specific endpoint is __________.

C. working backwards

Which of the following statements about grammar is not true?

D. Grammar is universal and is similar in most languages.

The ability to learn new words after being exposed to it once is __________.

D. fast mapping

In which step of the problem solving process should you write a concise statement about the problem?

D. identifying and defining the problem

After a solution has been selected and planned, the next step is to __________.

D. implement the solution

According to the __________ theories, nature and nurture are both important to language development.

D. interactionist

The smallest units in a language that carry meaning, such as "the," are called __________.

D. morphemes

Which type of thinking uses creativity and yields solutions that are original and creative?

D. productive

Linguistic relativity is the hypothesis that an individual's language __________.

IS NOT

Erica and Ryan are both taking a linguistics class in which their professor was discussing how the words "spinach" or "heart" could have been used to represent the idea of "love." They are most likely discussing the __________ property of language in their class.

IS NOT A. generative

Which of the following statements about language is true?

IS NOT B. Language is structured and dictates which words can represent ideas.

When does the confirmation bias occur?

IS NOT C. When an individual becomes more confident in one's judgments after researching alternative perspectives.

Which of the following statements about language is true?

Languages use spoken sounds, written words, and signs to represent ideas and events.

What heuristic estimates the probability of something occurring based on how easily one recalls relevant occurrences of the event?

availability

The belief that the odds of two events occurring together are greater than the odds of either event occurring alone is the __________.

conjunction fallacy

When individuals attempt to use old strategies that do not work when solving new problems, they are __________.

experiencing mental set

Roxanne's Italian teacher was talking about how adjectives are placed after the noun, unlike in English. The teacher is instructing the students in the __________ of Italian.

syntax

When a child uses the word "cat" to refer to the family cat but not any other cats, __________ occurs.

underextension