Deck 7: Thinking Language and Intelligence

Question 1

Regarding concepts, which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)People often apply probabilities when categorizing concepts.
B)Cognitive psychologists classify concepts as either logical or natural.
C)Most of the concepts we use in everyday life are natural concepts.
D)Compared to logical concepts, natural concepts have more clearly defined rules for membership.
E)Natural concepts have poorly defined or fuzzy rules for membership.

Answer 1

Compared to logical concepts, natural concepts have more clearly defined rules for membership.

Question 2

Cognitive psychologists are likely to study all but which of the following topics?

A)language
B)development across the life span
C)thinking
D)problem solving
E)information processing

Answer 2

development across the life span

Question 3

Karen had been trying to solve a problem for several days when she experienced a sudden awareness of the correct solution to her problem. Karen's experience describes the concept of

A)linguistic relativity.
B)conceptual expansion.
C)insight.
D)functional fixedness.
E)a mental set.

Answer 3

insight.

Question 4

Jorge is a biology student and learns that botanists have clear rules for determining what a bean is. The concept of "bean" he is learning in class is referred to as a

A)heuristic concept.
B)natural concept.
C)logical concept.
D)applied concept.
E)probabilistic concept.

Question 5

Kohler studied which aspect of problem solving?

A)concept formation
B)algorithms
C)insight
D)decay
E)representative heuristic

Question 6

Regarding thinking and mental imagery, which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)Physical objects are generally better represented by words and concepts than by images.
B)When thinking, information is represented in the mind in the form of images, words, or concepts.
C)While most people can form mental images of sensory experiences other than visual ones, they generally have the easiest time forming visual images.
D)Women tend to outperform men in remembering the spatial location of objects.
E)A mental image is a representation of an object or event in one's mind.

Question 7

What is the major drawback of algorithms?

A)They tend to lead to confirmation bias.
B)They cause people to rely on the same solutions over and over.
C)They can lead to faulty solutions.
D)They take too long to apply.
E)There may not be any algorithm that precisely applies to one's particular problem.

Question 8

Which type of imagery is easiest to form?

A)auditory
B)tactile
C)olfactory
D)gustatory
E)visual

Question 9

According to the text, thinking involves each of the following EXCEPT

A)forming mental images.
B)using concepts.
C)using words.
D)solving problems.
E)functional fixedness.

Question 10

When her students are first learning algebra, math teacher Ruth Dibble teaches the students a series of step-by-step rules for working with algebraic equations. What is Ms. Dibble teaching her students?

A)insight strategies
B)algorithms
C)heuristics
D)natural concepts
E)logical concepts

Question 11

Concepts function to do all but which of the following?

A)help us bring a sense of order to our world
B)make us better able to anticipate and predict future events
C)help us respond more quickly to events
D)reduce the need for new learning each time we encounter a familiar object or event
E)enable us to engage in mental imagery.

Question 12

Dr. Gregor's research focuses on decision-making and problem solving. Gregor is probably a(n)______ psychologist.

A)environmental
B)social
C)physiological
D)cognitive
E)health

Question 13

Comparing the two types of concepts, logical is to ______ as natural is to ______.

A)negative; positive
B)subordinate; superordinate
C)superordinate; subordinate
D)positive; negative
E)clear; fuzzy

Question 14

As cited in the text, many of Albert Einstein's creative insights involved the use of

A)free association
B)group problem solving
C)library research
D)mental imagery
E)using words to conceptualize physical phenomena

Question 15

According to the text, thinking is defined as

A)the ability to learn and profit from experience.
B)the mental representation and manipulation of information.
C)mental awareness and processing.
D)the cognitive representation of information.
E)the private mental processes allowing us to interact with the world.

Question 16

Anita says she can't define pornography but she knows it when she sees it. She is applying what type of concept?

A)heuristic concept
B)natural concept
C)logical concept
D)applied concept
E)probabilistic concept

Question 17

Compared to men, women tend to

A)report less vivid images of past experiences.
B)use more visual imagery to remember past events.
C)use less visual imagery to remember past experiences.
D)more often use imagery in problem solving.
E)perform worse in forming still images of objects.

Question 18

Concepts defined by specific rules are called

A)natural concepts.
B)intuitive concepts.
C)heuristics.
D)logical concepts.
E)algorithms.

Question 19

The mental representation and manipulation of information is

A)learning.
B)memory.
C)sensation.
D)thinking.
E)perception.

Question 20

Which of the following is the best definition of concept?

A)a mental category used to group objects according to shared features
B)a rule of thumb for solving problems or making judgments
C)a mental picture or representation of an object or event
D)a comparison between two things based on similar features
E)a system of communication composed of symbols and following particular rules

Question 21

The tendency to base decisions on information that most readily comes to mind is

A)framing.
B)mental set.
C)the availability heuristic.
D)the representativeness heuristic.
E)convergent thinking.

Question 22

Your text mentions a young woman who headed home before finishing a college tour after noticing a student who was wearing unfashionable shoes. This woman was using the representativeness heuristic by assuming that

A)a sample represented the larger population.
B)easily recalled examples represented more prevalent categories.
C)more people agreed with her than actually did.
D)her point of view was unique.
E)her initial hypothesis was correct despite evidence against it.

Question 23

Most people assume there are more words in the English language that begin with the letter k than have the letter k in the third position. This may be because it is easier to think of words that begin with k and thus may be an example of

A)the availability heuristic.
B)the representativeness heuristic.
C)functional fixedness.
D)mental set.
E)confirmation bias.

Question 24

A heuristic is

A)a step-by-step process for solving a problem.
B)a sudden realization of the correct solution to a problem.
C)the most common type of logical concept.
D)a mental shortcut for solving a problem.
E)a standard used to compare an individual's performance on a test with the performance of others.

Question 25

Guilford was a pioneer in the development of tests that measured

A)functional fixedness.
B)divergent thinking.
C)confirmation bias.
D)convergent thinking.
E)heuristics.

Question 26

Which cognitive bias best describes our tendency to judge people based on first impressions?

A)confirmation bias
B)the representativeness heuristic
C)the availability heuristic
D)the means-end heuristic
E)divergent thinking

Question 27

Mental set is a

A)type of means-end heuristic.
B)tendency to rely on problem-solving strategies that worked in the past.
C)type of subgoal setting.
D)form of the backwards-thinking heuristic.
E)rule of thumb in problem solving.

Question 28

Engineer Phinegan Tatarchuk likes to use analogy during the creative process of developing new products. When Tatarchuk does this, he is

A)representing objects on the basis of metaphors.
B)comparing two things based on similarities.
C)comparing two things based on differences.
D)combining two or more concepts into one.
E)expanding familiar concepts into new ones.

Question 29

Divergent thinking is

A)conceiving of new ways of viewing situations and new uses for familiar objects.
B)maintaining an initial hypothesis despite contradictory evidence.
C)relying on previous successful strategies to solve a new problem.
D)making decisions based on how easily information comes to mind.
E)narrowing down a range of alternatives to converge on the one correct answer to a problem.

Question 30

Arnold tries to find the single correct solution to his problem. Which mental process is Arnold using?

A)divergent thinking
B)mental set
C)conceptual combinations
D)convergent thinking
E)metaphor

Question 31

Based on a few interactions with an ethnic group, Darnell has developed a stereotype of that group. Darnell is demonstrating

A)the representativeness heuristic.
B)divergent thinking.
C)the availability heuristic.
D)framing.
E)mental set.

Question 32

Celia is a juror at a trial. Based on her reading of newspapers, Celia has already decided that the defendant is guilty. She sticks to her decision even when the defense attorney presents strong contradicting evidence. Celia is demonstrating

A)functional fixedness.
B)mental set.
C)confirmation bias.
D)availability heuristic.
E)representativeness heuristic.

Question 33

When people fail to solve the "box-candle" and "two-string" problems presented in the text, they may be demonstrating

A)means-end heuristic.
B)backwards-thinking heuristic.
C)failure to conceptually combine or conceptually expand.
D)functional fixedness.
E)low intelligence.

Question 34

Chrissy relies on a "rule of thumb" to solve her problem. In scientific terms, Chrissy's strategy is called a(n)

A)algorithm.
B)heuristic.
C)natural concept.
D)logical concept.
E)analogy.

Question 35

Letty has a very complex problem to solve. She decides to break the problem down into smaller, more manageable problems. Which strategy best describes what Letty is doing?

A)insight heuristic
B)backward-working heuristic
C)creating subgoals
D)means-end heuristic
E)functional fixedness

Question 36

Which of the following best describes decision making?

A)finding the one correct solution to a particular problem
B)mentally representing and manipulating information
C)conceiving of new ways to view situations or new uses for familiar objects
D)developing new, workable products or solutions to problems
E)selecting a course of action from a set of available alternatives

Question 37

A woman who sticks to her belief that her husband is not abusive and discounts evidence of his abusive behavior may be demonstrating

A)functional fixedness.
B)mental set.
C)representativeness heuristic.
D)availability heuristic.
E)confirmation bias.

Question 38

Regarding creativity, which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)Most people have the potential to be creative.
B)Creativity is strongly related to intelligence.
C)Creativity makes more use of divergent thinking than convergent thinking.
D)Creativity is a type of cognitive ability.
E)Creativity involves using cognitive processes to manipulate or act upon stored knowledge.

Question 39

Which heuristic involves starting with a possible solution and then working in reverse order to see if the data support the solution?

A)insight heuristic
B)creating subgoals
C)means-end heuristic
D)backward-working heuristic
E)functional fixedness

Question 40

Functional fixedness is

A)the tendency to rely on strategies that have been successful in the past.
B)a type of means-end heuristic.
C)the inability to see how familiar objects can be used in new ways.
D)a form of backward-thinking heuristic.
E)a type of multiple intelligence.

Question 41

Which of the following statements regarding language development is most strongly supported by the evidence?

A)Although genes are important in many aspects of behavior, scientists do not believe they play a role in language.
B)Many areas of the brain appear to be responsible for producing language.
C)Chomsky showed that the language acquisition device depends on formal training in the rules of grammar.
D)Evidence shows that language is a function of cultural processes, not underlying biological mechanisms.
E)Scientists recently discovered a language center in the brain that is largely responsible for the use of language.

Question 42

The terms "veggie burger" and "cell phone" represent which process underlying creative thinking?

A)conceptual combination
B)algorithm
C)analogy
D)metaphor
E)conceptual expansion

Question 43

The rules governing the meaning of words are called

A)grammar.
B)syntax.
C)morphemes.
D)semantics.
E)linguistics.

Question 44

In language, phonemes are to ______ as morphemes are to ______.

A)sound; meaning
B)meaning; semantics
C)semantics; syntax
D)syntax; semantics
E)linguistics; grammar

Question 45

Phonemes are the ______ in a language, and the English language has ______ phonemes.

A)rules governing word order; approximately 122
B)basic units of sound; exactly 26
C)basic units of sound; around 40
D)basic units of meaning; thousands of
E)basic units of meaning; hundreds of

Question 46

All but which of the following underlie creative thinking?

A)divergent thinking
B)conceptual expansion
C)conceptual combinations
D)use of algorithms
E)use of analogy

Question 47

Norm and Bertha's baby daughter has just begun making cooing sounds. If her development is average, what age is she predicted to be?

A)1 week
B)2 months
C)6 months
D)12 months
E)18 months

Question 48

Javan's English teacher tells him, "Watch your syntax!" To what is Javan's teacher referring?

A)his ordering of words within sentences and phrases
B)his pronunciation
C)his vocabulary
D)his spelling
E)his usage of the same word to express different meanings

Question 49

Regarding human language development, which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)Although all children experience the same stages of language development, there is a great variety in the ordering of the stages, as well as the ages at which the stages occur, depending on the culture.
B)Children naturally acquire language by listening to the speech of others, long before they learn rules of grammar as part of their formal education.
C)By about 2.5 years of age, the average child speaks in full sentences and has a vocabulary over 500 words.
D)Scientists are now beginning to locate genes involved in the development of brain mechanisms responsible for language and speech.
E)Parents can help children develop language skills by talking and reading to them frequently, as well as by demonstrating proper language use and rewarding children for imitating it.

Question 50

The rules governing proper use of words, phrases, and sentences to convey meaning are called

A)language.
B)grammar.
C)syntax.
D)semantics.
E)linguistics.

Question 51

Alexander Graham Bell studied the human ear and noticed how sounds were transmitted when a membrane (the eardrum)vibrated. He applied this knowledge to the development of the telephone, using a similar process of vibration of a membrane. Which cognitive process did Bell demonstrate?

A)Metaphor
B)Conceptual expansion
C)Analogy
D)Conceptual combination
E)Mental set

Question 52

Martin looks at his class syllabus and notices that his professor will lecture today on the work of Noam Chomsky. What is most likely to be the focus of the lecture?

A)Discussion of an innate mechanism in the brain for learning language
B)Suggestions for how teachers and parents can encourage children to attempt to use language
C)A focus on circumstances in the environment that support language development
D)Comparing and contrasting biological and environmental influences on language development
E)Debate over whether intelligence is composed of a single factor or multiple factors

Question 53

Regarding the concept of the language acquisition device, which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)It represents an innate mechanism in the brain for learning language.
B)It is believed to be prewired into the human nervous system.
C)Critics consider it an abstract concept rather than a physical structure in the brain .
D)It was developed by the linguist Noam Chomsky.
E)It explains how environment shapes language development.

Question 54

Language consists of _____ basic components, and they are called ______.

A)3; mental images, concepts, and speech
B)2; words and grammar
C)2; language acquisition and linguistic relativity
D)3; heuristics, algorithms, and analogies
E)4; phonemes, morphemes, syntax, and semantics

Question 55

Language is

A)a set of rules for communication.
B)a set of symbols for communication.
C)a set of rules and symbols for communication.
D)composed of words and other sounds.
E)a mental picture or representation of an object or event.

Question 56

All but which of the following are examples of phonemes?

A)au
B)g
C)l
D)o
E)ed

Question 57

Regarding language, which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)Morphemes consist of simple words, as well as prefixes and suffixes.
B)In English, phonemes correspond to individual letters, as well as letter combinations.
C)Phonemes combine to form syntax.
D)Changing one phoneme in a word can change the meaning of the word.
E)Different languages have different phonemes.

Question 58

What are the smallest units of meaning in a language?

A)phonemes
B)morphemes
C)graphemes
D)syllables
E)letters of the alphabet

Question 59

Which of the following are considered nonlinguistic forms of communication?

A)crying only
B)babbling and cooing
C)cooing and crying
D)babbling and crying
E)babbling, cooing, and crying

Question 60

School psychologist Miguel Blackstone sometimes is called upon to administer the Alternate Uses Test. Which of the following is Blackstone measuring?

A)intelligence
B)convergent thinking
C)multiple intelligence
D)language skills
E)divergent thinking

Question 61

Who developed an artificial language based on plastic chips and trained a chimp to communicate with these chips?

A)Beatrice and Allen Gardner
B)Noam Chomsky
C)Benjamin Whorf
D)Eleanor Rosch
E)David Premack

Question 62

Jessica's advisor recommends that Jessica take courses in at least one foreign language because, he says, there are some thoughts that simply cannot occur to people who speak only one language. Her advisor's opinion is probably based on _____.

A)Chomsky's language acquisition device concept
B)Premack's artificial language research
C)the linguistic relativity hypothesis
D)Pinker's research on grammar and communications
E)recent research with gorillas and chimpanzees

Question 63

Scientists believe that ape communication through gesturing represents

A)a clear use of complex rules of language on par with adult communication in humans.
B)a simple form of conditioning that can be demonstrated in the lab.
C)a form of complex communication that is unrelated to human language.
D)a form of communication that may represent a starting point for human language.
E)a form of communication having surprising complexity that can be likened to a computer language.

Question 64

Some scientists would say that Koko the gorilla learned human language because she

A)could use signs to form simple phrases and demonstrated a basic understanding of grammar.
B)used the American Sign Language sign for pain while pointing to her mouth, thus communicating that she had a decayed tooth.
C)was able to make requests and other communications by putting together a sequence of communication chips.
D)learned how to communicate on a keyboard by observing and imitating her mother.
E)was able to get what she wanted by responding to reinforcement schedules.

Question 65

In his work on the measurement of intelligence, Binet was initially attempting to

A)identify intellectually gifted children.
B)identify children who would benefit from special education.
C)determine grade placement for school children.
D)determine which children had enough schooling to go to work.
E)identify intellectually superior individuals.

Question 66

Recent research on communications with gorillas and chimpanzees suggest that these animals can learn to use language. The conclusion that these animals truly use language has been criticized because _____.

A)gestures and other simple responses can be learned through conditioning and reinforcement without a true use of language
B)language is a uniquely human attribute that cannot be shared with animals
C)the language abilities of chimpanzees are too limited to represent any form of language
D)phonemes cannot be used by chimpanzees or other animals
E)researchers have not agreed on an adequate definition of language

Question 67

In Binet's method of intelligence testing, the age at which a child's performance peaked was considered his or her

A)chronological age.
B)intelligence quotient.
C)mental age.
D)intellectual age.
E)deviation IQ.

Question 68

The belief that language affects how we think was first developed by ______, and this idea is presented in the ______.

A)Chomsky; linguistic relativity hypothesis
B)Whorf; linguistic relativity hypothesis
C)Chomsky; language acquisition hypothesis
D)Sternberg; triarchic linguistic hypothesis
E)Whorf; language acquisition hypothesis

Question 69

According to the text, which of the following definitions best describes intelligence?

A)the process of mentally representing and manipulating information
B)a form of problem solving in which a person selects a course of action from the available alternatives
C)originality of thought associated with the development of new, workable products or solutions
D)the ability to conceive of new ways of viewing situations and new uses for familiar objects
E)the capacity to think and reason clearly and to act purposefully and effectively in adapting to the environment

Question 70

Simone Farnsworth is a writer of children's books. When she creates her books, Farnsworth is very careful to avoid the use of language that emphasizes the world from a male perspective. Simone believes that using words and phrases that emphasize traditional gender roles may influence children to think in a gender-stereotyped manner. Farnsworth's perspective is consistent with which of the following?

A)the existence of a language acquisition device
B)divergent thinking
C)the triarchic theory of intelligence
D)the linguistic relativity hypothesis
E)the practice of culture-fair testing

Question 71

The use of the generic "he" in referring to doctors and scientists may negatively affect career aspirations in young woman. This can best be explained by

A)the role that language plays in thinking.
B)the original but not the weaker version of the Whorfian hypothesis.
C)the language acquisition device as a mechanism that determines cultural patterns in language use..
D)the role that culture plays in language development.
E)Chomsky's view of the importance of cultural experience in determining how we think about the world.

Question 72

Among these individuals, who would be considered the earliest pioneer in the field of intelligence testing?

A)Lewis Terman
B)Alfred Binet
C)Charles Spearman
D)Robert Sternberg
E)Howard Gardner

Question 73

The linguistic relativity hypothesis states that

A)there are innate mechanisms in the brain associated with language learning.
B)there are environmental influences important for language learning.
C)the way we think affects the language we use.
D)the language we use determines the way we think.
E)differences in language do not affect our perception of reality.

Question 74

In its original conception, intelligence quotient was defined as

A)mental age multiplied by chronological age and multiplied by 100.
B)mental age divided by chronological age and multiplied by 100.
C)mental age subtracted from chronological age and multiplied by 100.
D)chronological age subtracted from mental age and multiplied by 100.
E)mental age divided by chronological age and divided by 100.

Question 75

Regarding intelligence, psychologists have long argued about all but which of the following?

A)how to define it
B)what factors govern it
C)whether different racial and ethnic groups have different levels of intelligence and what accounts for these differences
D)how to measure it
E)whether it varies among members of a population

Question 76

Which of the following examples represents the most remarkable demonstration of teaching animals to communicate?

A)Kanzi's mother, a chimp who learned to communicate through the pushing of geometric shapes on a keyboard
B)Washoe the chimp who learned to combine signs into simple phrases
C)Sarah the chimp who learned to communicate through placement of plastic chips
D)A chimp named Nim Chimpsky learned to "sign" via operant conditioning
E)Kanzi the chimp who learned to communicate through observation and imitation of his mother

Question 77

Beginning the use of one-word phrases is typical for which age group?

A)3 months
B)6 months
C)12 months
D)15 months
E)18 months

Question 78

Regarding research on the Whorfian hypothesis, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A)Research evidence does not support the original version of the Whorfian hypothesis, but it does support a weaker version of the hypothesis.
B)Research evidence does not support the original version of the Whorfian hypothesis, nor any subsequent versions.
C)Research evidence supports the Whorfian hypothesis.
D)Research has not yet been conducted on the Whorfian hypothesis.
E)Research supports the belief that language determines how we think and perceive the world.

Question 79

According to the text, which of the following definitions best describes intelligence?

A)the ability to hold and manipulate information in mind
B)the ability to perform well on achievement tests in school
C)the ability to think clearly in challenging situations
D)the ability to conceive of new ways of viewing situations and new uses for familiar objects
E)the capacity to think and reason clearly and to act purposefully and effectively in adapting to the environment

Question 80

What is the sequence for language development?

A)cooing, babbling, crying, one-word phrases, two-word phrases
B)crying, cooing, babbling, one-word phrases, two-word phrases
C)crying, babbling, cooing, one-word phrases, two-word phrases
D)crying, cooing, one-word phrases, babbling, two-word phrases
E)cooing, crying, babbling, one-word phrases, two-word phrases