Question 1

Tarzan's speech patterns such as "See Jane" and "Go Boy" are like a two-year-old's
A)telegraphic speech.
B)holophrases.
C)overextensions.
D)overgeneralizations.

Accepted Answer

Tarzan's speech patterns resemble telegraphic speech, which is the use of short, simple phrases that lack grammatical markers and are characteristic of early childhood language development. The phrases "See Jane" and "Go Boy" are examples of telegraphic speech because they are missing articles, auxiliary verbs, and other grammatical elements that would be present in more complex sentences.

Question 2

The linguistic-relativity hypothesis predicts that speakers of different languages
A)conceptualize the world differently.
B)employ similar concepts, even though their vocabulary differs.
C)comprehend the rules that govern their language.
D)use a universal grammar to govern their language.

Accepted Answer

The linguistic-relativity hypothesis, also known as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, proposes that the language we speak affects the way we think and perceive the world. Therefore, speakers of different languages may conceptualize the world differently based on the linguistic categories and distinctions available to them through their native language.

Question 3

Language development begins with crying, cooing and babbling which are referred to as
A)prelinguistic words.
B)prelinguistic vocalizations.
C)symbolic sounds.
D)none of these.

Accepted Answer

Crying, cooing and babbling are prelinguistic vocalizations, which are the early sounds that infants make before developing meaningful words or language. They are not considered prelinguistic words or symbolic sounds.

Question 4

Jamie's mother was concerned that her four-year-old daughter overregularized plurals and tenses. She took Jamie to Dr. Acton, a noted learning theorist, who advised her to
A)wait for Jamie's speech to correct itself.
B)take her to a speech therapist.
C)correct her grammar through imitation and repetition.
D)begin instruction in another language.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Jamie's mother was concerned that her four-year-old...

Question 5

Learning theories of language development emphasize the role of
A)inborn factors.
B)reinforcement and imitation.
C)language acquisition devices.
D)overgeneralization.

Accepted Answer

Learning theories of language development emphasize the role of reinforcement and imitation, as these theories suggest that children learn language through being rewarded for speaking correctly and imitating the language they hear around them.

Question 6

With the utterance of words, the infant's vocabulary growth at first is
A)slow, with just a few words in the next few months.
B)moderate, with 30 to 40 words in the next few months.
C)fast, with about 100 words in the next few months.
D)stable over the next 10 months.

Accepted Answer

Initially, an infant's vocabulary growth is slow, with only a few words being added in the months following the first utterances. This slow phase precedes a more rapid increase in vocabulary.

Question 7

Crying, cooing, and babbling are prelinguistic activities that are
A)inborn.
B)learned.
C)shaped by experience.
D)different in different cultures.

Accepted Answer

Crying, cooing, and babbling are prelinguistic activities that infants are born with and do naturally without being taught or shaped by experience. These activities serve as an important foundation for later language development. While different cultures may have different approaches to language development, the prelinguistic activities themselves are inborn and universal.

Question 8

When a toddler utters "baba," it may mean, "I want my bottle," or "Where is my bottle?" or "I'm hungry." What are such utterances called?
A)telegraphic speech
B)overextensions
C)holophrases
D)overgeneralizations

Accepted Answer

These utterances are known as holophrases, which are one-word utterances used by infants to convey a complete thought or idea.

Question 9

The observation that infants display considerable intelligence before they learn to speak offers little support to
A)the linguistic-relativity hypothesis.
B)Piaget's theory of cognitive development.
C)the learning theory of language development.
D)psycholinguistic theory.

Accepted Answer

The linguistic-relativity hypothesis (also known as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis) suggests that the structure of a language affects the way people conceptualize the world. However, the fact that infants demonstrate intelligence before they learn to speak does not provide evidence for or against this hypothesis.

Question 10

Children between the ages of three and five incorrectly apply the rules of past tense and of plural when they say "sitted" instead of "sat" and "gooses" instead of "geese." This phase of language development reflects
A)charming childish speech.
B)a beginning knowledge of grammar.
C)faulty language development.
D)inadequate instruction by parents.

Accepted Answer

This phase of language development reflects a beginning knowledge of grammar. Children are starting to understand the system of language and learn the basic rules of grammar, but they have not yet fully mastered them. As they continue to develop language skills, they will refine their understanding and begin to use proper grammar more consistently.

Question 11

The developmental period of infant babbling represents the transition between
A)crying and cooing.
B)first words and holophrases.
C)overextension and holophrases.
D)prelinguistic vocalizations and first words.

Accepted Answer

Infant babbling marks the end of prelinguistic vocalizations and the beginning of the production of recognizable words. Option A is incorrect because crying and cooing are prelinguistic vocalizations that occur before babbling. Option B is incorrect because holophrases are one-word utterances that typically occur after the babbling phase. Option C is incorrect because overextension is a stage of language development that occurs after the babbling phase.

Question 12

What is one reason modern cognitive scientists do not accept the linguistic-relativity hypothesis?
A)People who speak different languages perceive the world differently.
B)No cultures really exist that have only two words for colors.
C)The range of people's thoughts is not limited by their vocabulary.
D)The structure of thought is shaped by language.

Accepted Answer

Modern cognitive scientists do not accept the linguistic-relativity hypothesis because they believe that the range of people's thoughts is not limited by their vocabulary. This means that people can think about concepts and ideas regardless of whether they have words for them in their language. This contradicts the linguistic-relativity hypothesis, which suggests that language shapes thought. Therefore, option C is the correct answer.

Question 13

Mom points to an object and tells her 2-year-old what it is. The baby then points and repeats the label. According to social cognitive theory, Mom serves as a _______ for the child to acquire language skills.
A)reinforcer
B)model
C)facilitator
D)promoter

Accepted Answer

According to social cognitive theory, modeling is the process of observing and imitating the behavior of others. In this scenario, the mother is modeling language for the child by labeling objects and the child is imitating her by pointing and repeating the label. Therefore, the mother serves as a model for the child to acquire language skills.

Question 14

An infant speaks her first word and says "Da Da." She is probably about
A)2 years old.
B)6 months old.
C)1 year old.
D)18 months old.

Accepted Answer

Typically, infants say their first word between 10-14 months old. "Da Da" is a common early word because it's easy to say with the tongue and lips. Therefore, the most likely age for the infant to say "Da Da" is around 1 year old.

Question 15

The development of prelinguistic vocalizations by infants follows which order?
A)crying, babbling, and cooing
B)crying, cooing, and holophrasing
C)crying, cooing, and babbling
D)crying, babbling, and single words

Accepted Answer

The development of prelinguistic vocalizations by infants follows the order of crying, cooing, and babbling, in that sequence. Crying is the first vocalization, followed by cooing sounds, and then the onset of babbling.

Question 16

The Dani of New Guinea have only two words for distinguishing colors in their language. When tested for their ability to discriminate colors, Dani children
A)show a different appreciation of color differences from those of American children.
B)are unique in their differentiation of colors.
C)have little interest in color variations.
D)can discriminate the many colors of the spectrum.

Accepted Answer

Despite having only two words for colors, Dani children can still discriminate between many colors, indicating that language does not limit their perceptual ability to distinguish colors.

Question 17

The babbling of infants in all cultures sounds much the same, but by 9 or 10 months of age,
A)children from industrialized cultures display a greater variety of sounds.
B)inborn factors result in cultural differences in languages.
C)infants repeat the sounds used in the home.
D)holophrases are uttered.

Accepted Answer

Infants start to repeat and practice the specific sounds they hear in their environment, which reflects the language(s) spoken in their home. This is why by 9 or 10 months, their babbling begins to include sounds specific to the languages they are exposed to.

Question 18

Which of the following serves to disprove the linguistic-relativity hypothesis?
A)Bassa speakers use only two words for color.
B)Infants display considerable intelligence before they learn to speak.
C)English speakers are limited in their ability to think about snow when compared to the Inuit Eskimos.
D)Language structures the way one sees the world.

Accepted Answer

The linguistic-relativity hypothesis suggests that language influences thought. If infants can display intelligence before they learn to speak, it suggests that thought can occur independently of language, thus disproving the hypothesis.

Question 19

A person magically transported from the early 1800s to the present day, on seeing an airplane in flight, likely would
A)not be able to think about it until he or she was given a word for the airplane.
B)be completely unable to form any thoughts about it.
C)refuse to admit seeing it out of fear.
D)think about it and call it a flying vehicle or airship.

Accepted Answer

The person from the early 1800s would have some understanding of flying machines, such as hot air balloons and early gliders, so they would likely be able to comprehend the concept of an airplane. They may not have an exact word for it, but they would likely describe it as a flying vehicle or airship.

Question 20

A three-year-old says, "Mommy goed away." This sentence is an example of
A)failure to understand grammar.
B)overregularization.
C)overextension.
D)faulty language development.

Accepted Answer

The word "goed" is an example of overregularization, where the child applies a regular past tense rule ("ed" suffix) to an irregular verb ("go"). This is a common error in language development for young children.

Quiz 7: Thinking, Language, and Intelligence

Tarzan's speech patterns such as "See Jane" and "Go Boy" are like a two-year-old's

The linguistic-relativity hypothesis predicts that speakers of different languages

Language development begins with crying, cooing and babbling which are referred to as

Jamie's mother was concerned that her four-year-old daughter overregularized plurals and tenses. She took Jamie to Dr. Acton, a noted learning theorist, who advised her to

Learning theories of language development emphasize the role of

With the utterance of words, the infant's vocabulary growth at first is

Crying, cooing, and babbling are prelinguistic activities that are

When a toddler utters "baba," it may mean, "I want my bottle," or "Where is my bottle?" or "I'm hungry." What are such utterances called?

The observation that infants display considerable intelligence before they learn to speak offers little support to

Children between the ages of three and five incorrectly apply the rules of past tense and of plural when they say "sitted" instead of "sat" and "gooses" instead of "geese." This phase of language development reflects

The developmental period of infant babbling represents the transition between

What is one reason modern cognitive scientists do not accept the linguistic-relativity hypothesis?

Mom points to an object and tells her 2-year-old what it is. The baby then points and repeats the label. According to social cognitive theory, Mom serves as a _______ for the child to acquire language skills.

An infant speaks her first word and says "Da Da." She is probably about

The development of prelinguistic vocalizations by infants follows which order?

The Dani of New Guinea have only two words for distinguishing colors in their language. When tested for their ability to discriminate colors, Dani children

The babbling of infants in all cultures sounds much the same, but by 9 or 10 months of age,

Which of the following serves to disprove the linguistic-relativity hypothesis?

A person magically transported from the early 1800s to the present day, on seeing an airplane in flight, likely would

A three-year-old says, "Mommy goed away." This sentence is an example of