Question 1

Which of the following, if true, would be damaging to evidence cited to support the hypothesis that spoken language evolved from gestural language?
A)Monkeys actually have a much more sophisticated spoken language than previously thought.
B)Monkeys can be trained to use gestural language, but not spoken language.
C)Monkey brains are organized ipsilaterally with regard to motor control.
D)Monkey brains are incapable of processing sophisticated spoken language.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following, if true, would...

Question 2

In studies with implanted electrodes, Sahin and colleagues (2009) found that Broca's area processed which elements of language?
A)lexical
B)grammatical
C)phonological
D)All of the answer options are correct.

Accepted Answer

Sahin and colleagues found that Broca's area processed all elements of language - lexical, grammatical, and phonological - based on studies with implanted electrodes.

Question 3

The three primary ways in which words are symbolized in different writing systems are alphabetic, syllabic, and logographic.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Alphabetic writing systems use symbols to represent individual sounds, while syllabic systems use symbols to represent whole syllables, and logographic systems use symbols to represent entire words or concepts.

Question 4

Which of the following evolutionary anatomical developments from apes to humans seems to have most greatly facilitated humans' capacity for sophisticated spoken language?
A)increased size of left inferior frontal gyrus
B)increased size of left lateral temporal areas
C)increased connectivity within inferior frontal and lateral temporal areas
D)increased connectivity between inferior frontal, lateral temporal, and inferior parietal areas

Accepted Answer

The increased connectivity between the inferior frontal, lateral temporal, and inferior parietal areas appears to have facilitated humans' capacity for sophisticated spoken language. These areas are involved in language processing and comprehension, and increased connectivity between them likely allowed for more efficient language processing and communication.

Question 5

The information that a listener derives from the speech rhythm and pitch of the speaker's voice is referred to as morphological.

Accepted Answer

The information that a listener derives from the speech rhythm and pitch of the speaker's voice is referred to as prosody, not morphological.

Question 6

According to Levelt, information-specific networks exist for word forms at the ________ level and for the grammatical properties of words at the ________ level.
A)N400; P600
B)lexeme; lemma
C)semantic; parsing
D)frontal; temporal

Accepted Answer

Levelt proposes that there are two levels of representation for words: the lexeme level (word form) and the lemma level (grammatical properties). Information-specific networks exist for each level, with the lexeme level being represented in temporal regions and the lemma level being represented in frontal regions of the brain. Thus, option B is the correct answer as it refers to the correct levels of representation for word forms and grammatical properties. Option A refers to two event-related potential (ERP) components that reflect processing difficulties at the level of meaning and syntax respectively. Option C refers to two broad categories of language processing, but does not specify the levels of representation being discussed by Levelt. Option D refers to brain regions, but does not specify the levels of representation being discussed by Levelt.

Question 7

Modular models of language comprehension argue for a high degree of interactivity between different specialized modules.

Accepted Answer

Modular models of language comprehension argue for a relatively autonomous functioning of different specialized modules, with limited interactivity between them.

Question 8

Homo sapiens have made the leap from ________ to ________ sequences.
A)gestural; manual
B)manual; gestural
C)manual; vocal
D)vocal; manual

Accepted Answer

Homo sapiens have made the leap from using manual communication (gestures and signs) to vocal communication (speaking and language). While some other species, such as primates, use gestural communication, humans have evolved the ability to produce complex vocalizations and develop languages with grammatical rules and syntax.

Question 9

Saying the word "horse" when intending to say the word "cow" is an example of a semantic paraphasia.

Accepted Answer

Semantic paraphasia involves substituting a word with another word that has a similar meaning or is in the same category, such as substituting "horse" for "cow," both of which are farm animals.

Question 10

The brain regions involved with the unification process in Hagoort's model suggest that a person with a major comprehension deficit due to significant damage in Brodmann area 45 (BA45) could be expected to exhibit which of the following?
A)an abnormal N400
B)an abnormal P600
C)both an abnormal N400 and an abnormal P600
D)None of the answer options is correct.

Accepted Answer

Brodmann area 45 (BA45) is part of the Broca's area, which is involved in language processing, including both semantic processing (related to the N400 component) and syntactic processing (related to the P600 component). Damage to this area could disrupt both semantic and syntactic processing, leading to abnormalities in both N400 and P600 components.

Question 11

Semantic priming effects are due to spreading activation in many models of lexical processing.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Semantic priming effects are due to spreading...

Question 12

What is the main reason that there has been more success teaching nonhuman primates to use sign language than spoken language?
A)Hand signals are easier than vocalizations.
B)Vocalizations are better controlled in humans.
C)Control of manual gestures is better in nonhuman primates.
D)All of the answer options are correct.

Accepted Answer

Nonhuman primates have more success with sign language because their vocal apparatus is not as well-developed for speech as humans, making hand signals easier for them to learn and use. Additionally, control of manual gestures is naturally better in nonhuman primates, and the complexity of human vocalizations requires fine control that nonhuman primates generally lack.

Question 13

The Spanish language uses the logographic system for written words.

Accepted Answer

The Spanish language uses the alphabetic system, where each symbol represents a sound, rather than the logographic system, where each symbol represents a word or concept.

Question 14

In Hagoort's language model, the "memory" component is mediated by the ________, the "unification" component by the ________, and the "control" component by the ________.
A)inferior frontal cortex; temporal lobe; lateral frontal cortex
B)inferior frontal cortex; lateral frontal cortex; temporal lobe
C)temporal lobe; lateral frontal cortex; inferior frontal cortex
D)temporal lobe; inferior frontal gyrus; lateral frontal cortex

Accepted Answer

In Hagoort's language model, the "memory" component is mediated by the temporal lobe, the "unification" component by the inferior frontal gyrus, and the "control" component by the lateral frontal cortex. This model outlines how different brain regions are involved in various aspects of language processing.

Question 15

A normal adult speaker has passive knowledge of about 50,000 words.

Accepted Answer

According to linguistic research, a normal adult speaker has a passive knowledge of about 50,000 words. This means they recognize and understand these words when they hear or read them but may not necessarily use them actively in their own speech.

Question 16

Animal calls were thought to be purely emotional. Which of the following findings with monkey calls does NOT contradict this view?
A)A call in presence of a snake led to monkeys looking down.
B)A call in presence of a leopard led monkeys to flee into the trees.
C)A call is seldom made when a monkey is alone.
D)Calls can be strung together in predictable orders.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Animal calls were thought to be purely...

Question 17

Considering the Memory and Unification components of Hagoort's model of language comprehension, during a conversation with your professor,
A)memory would be working to remember what your professor was saying.
B)unification would be integrating information your professor was saying with information you previously knew about the subject.
C)memory would be recalling the previous interactions you'd had with your professor.
D)unification would be pulling together and integrating various components of the words coming out of your professor's mouth to process what she was saying.

Accepted Answer

Unification involves the integration of different sources of information, which is necessary for understanding the meaning of a sentence. In a conversation with your professor, unification would be pulling together and integrating various components of the words coming out of your professor's mouth to process what she was saying. Memory, on the other hand, involves the storage and retrieval of information from previous experiences, so option A and C are not the best choices.

Question 18

According to Levelt's (1989) model of speech production, two main processing stages are involved in generating a meaningful utterance. In the ________ stage, the speaker determines what he or she intends to express to the listener; in the ________ stage, word choices and the grammatical role that each word will play are determined.
A)microplanning; macroplanning
B)macroplanning; lemma
C)microplanning; lemma
D)macroplanning; microplanning

Accepted Answer

Levelt's model of speech production involves two main processing stages: macroplanning and microplanning. In the macroplanning stage, the speaker determines what they intend to express to the listener (e.g. the topic, the main points they want to convey). In the microplanning stage, word choices and the grammatical role each word will play are determined (e.g. selecting specific words, determining sentence structure). Therefore, the correct option is D, macroplanning and microplanning. The other options (A, B, and C) either include incorrect terms or mix up the order of the processing stages.

Question 19

Phonemes are the smallest units of sound that make a difference to meaning.

Accepted Answer

Phonemes are the smallest units of sound that can change the meaning of a word when substituted with another phoneme. For example, changing the phoneme /b/ in "bat" to /c/ would change the word to "cat," thus altering its meaning.

Question 20

Under certain circumstances, when the conceptual representation of an item is activated, there is subsequent difficulty activating the corresponding word form in the mental lexicon, even though other information about the item can be accessed. This phenomenon is called
A)minimal attachment.
B)dysarthria.
C)lemma interference.
D)the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon.

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is called the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon, where one's mental representation of a word is activated, but access to the corresponding word form in the mental lexicon is momentarily blocked or inhibited.

Quiz 11: Language

Which of the following, if true, would be damaging to evidence cited to support the hypothesis that spoken language evolved from gestural language?

In studies with implanted electrodes, Sahin and colleagues (2009) found that Broca's area processed which elements of language?

The three primary ways in which words are symbolized in different writing systems are alphabetic, syllabic, and logographic.

Which of the following evolutionary anatomical developments from apes to humans seems to have most greatly facilitated humans' capacity for sophisticated spoken language?

The information that a listener derives from the speech rhythm and pitch of the speaker's voice is referred to as morphological.

According to Levelt, information-specific networks exist for word forms at the level and for the grammatical properties of words at the level.

Modular models of language comprehension argue for a high degree of interactivity between different specialized modules.

Homo sapiens have made the leap from to sequences.

Saying the word "horse" when intending to say the word "cow" is an example of a semantic paraphasia.

The brain regions involved with the unification process in Hagoort's model suggest that a person with a major comprehension deficit due to significant damage in Brodmann area 45 (BA45) could be expected to exhibit which of the following?

Semantic priming effects are due to spreading activation in many models of lexical processing.

What is the main reason that there has been more success teaching nonhuman primates to use sign language than spoken language?

The Spanish language uses the logographic system for written words.

In Hagoort's language model, the "memory" component is mediated by the , the "unification" component by the , and the "control" component by the .

A normal adult speaker has passive knowledge of about 50,000 words.

Animal calls were thought to be purely emotional. Which of the following findings with monkey calls does NOT contradict this view?

Considering the Memory and Unification components of Hagoort's model of language comprehension, during a conversation with your professor,

Phonemes are the smallest units of sound that make a difference to meaning.

Under certain circumstances, when the conceptual representation of an item is activated, there is subsequent difficulty activating the corresponding word form in the mental lexicon, even though other information about the item can be accessed. This phenomenon is called