Question 1

Which of the following theorists encouraged the study of cognitive activity which helped lead to the cognitive revolution in the 1950s?
A) Sigmund Freud
B) John Watson
C) Herbert Simon
D) B. F. Skinner

Accepted Answer

Herbert Simon was a cognitive psychologist who encouraged the study of cognitive activity in the 1950s. He believed that studying mental processes such as decision-making and problem-solving was crucial to understanding human behavior. Simon, along with other cognitive psychologists such as George Miller and Noam Chomsky, helped lead the cognitive revolution in psychology during this time.

Question 2

Which of the following statements is LEAST accurate?
A) Humans are capable of producing about 100 phonemes.
B) A letter of the alphabet is represented by more than one phoneme if it has more than one pronunciation.
C) All languages use all of the phonemes of which humans are capable.
D) Phonemes are combined into morphemes.

Accepted Answer

Not all languages use all of the phonemes that humans are capable of producing. For example, the click sounds used in some African languages are not present in all languages.

Question 3

When the word "oat" is changed to the word "boat," the number of
A) phonemes and morphemes are both increased.
B) phonemes stays the same, but the number of morphemes is increased.
C) phonemes increases, but the number of morphemes stays the same.
D) phonemes decreases, but the number of morphemes increases.

Accepted Answer

The word "oat" has two phonemes (/o/ and /t/) and one morpheme. The word "boat" has three phonemes (/b/, /o/, and /t/) and still one morpheme.

Question 4

Cognition refers to
A) focusing awareness on a narrow range of stimuli or events.
B) the use of language in a social context.
C) widely shared beliefs that are transmitted socially across generations.
D) the mental processes involved in acquiring and using knowledge.

Accepted Answer

Cognition refers to mental processes such as perception, memory, attention, problem-solving, and decision-making that are involved in acquiring and using knowledge.

Question 5

When the word "jar" is changed to the word "jars," the number of
A) phonemes increases, but the number of morphemes stays the same.
B) phonemes stays the same, but the number of morphemes is increased.
C) phonemes and morphemes are both increased.
D) phonemes decreases, but the number of morphemes increases.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When the word "jar" is changed to...

Question 6

The 1950s brought a "cognitive revolution" in psychology because
A) some theorists recognized that an exclusive focus on observable behavior would yield an incomplete picture of human functioning.
B) it was finally recognized that cognition is a uniquely human capability.
C) introspection became more objective and reliable as a research tool.
D) behaviorists recognized that language could not be studied objectively.

Accepted Answer

The cognitive revolution in psychology of the 1950s occurred as some psychologists and theorists recognized that focusing only on behavior would not provide a complete understanding of human functioning. These individuals believed that studying mental processes like perception, reasoning, and problem-solving was essential to comprehending human behavior. As a result, the study of cognition became a prominent area of psychological research. Option A correctly captures this sentiment. Option B is incorrect because cognition is not unique to humans, as many animals also engage in cognitive processes. Option C is incorrect because introspection was often criticized for being too subjective and unreliable as a research tool. Option D is incorrect because behaviorists largely ignored mental processes, including language, rather than recognizing their limitations in studying them objectively.

Question 7

The English language contains approximately
A) 100 morphemes.
B) 40 morphemes.
C) 100 phonemes.
D) 40 phonemes.

Accepted Answer

The English language contains approximately 40 phonemes, which are the basic units of sound in the language. Morphemes, on the other hand, are the smallest units of meaning, and there are tens of thousands of them in the English language. Therefore, options A and B are incorrect. Option C incorrectly confuses phonemes with morphemes.

Question 8

The smallest unit of meaning in a language is
A) the phoneme.
B) the word.
C) the phrase.
D) the morpheme.

Accepted Answer

The morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning in a language. It is the basic unit of morphology, which is the study of the structure of words and the way words are formed within a language. A morpheme can be a word, such as "cat", but it can also be a meaningful part of a word, such as the "-s" at the end of "cats", which signals plurality.

Question 9

During the first half of the 20th century,the study of cognition was discouraged because
A) earlier studies using the method of introspection had yielded unreliable results.
B) of the theoretical dominance of psychodynamic theories.
C) cognition was not considered to be a psychological function.
D) language acquisition was viewed as an innate process that could not be studied empirically.

Accepted Answer

The method of introspection, which involved people reporting on their own conscious experiences, was found to be unreliable and thus discouraged the study of cognition during the first half of the 20th century.

Question 10

Three-year-old Johnny used to say "mikk" when he wanted a drink of milk.Now he is able to say "milk" quite clearly.In this instance,Johnny has made a gain in his use of
A) phonemes.
B) syntax.
C) morphemes.
D) linguistic heuristics.

Accepted Answer

Phonemes are the smallest units of sound that make a difference in meaning in a language. In this case, Johnny has improved his pronunciation of the word "milk," indicating a gain in his use of phonemes.

Question 11

The word "psychology" consists of
A) ten morphemes, one for each letter of the alphabet used.
B) one morpheme, for the entire word.
C) three morphemes, one for each syllable.
D) two morphemes: "psych," and "ology."

Accepted Answer

"Psych" is a morpheme meaning "mind," and "ology" is a morpheme meaning "the study of." Therefore, the word "psychology" is made up of two morphemes.

Question 12

Last Halloween,4-year-old Jillian called the decorations at her house "punkins." This year she is able to say "pumpkins" when she describes them.In this instance,Jillian has made a gain in her use of
A) syntax.
B) morphemes.
C) linguistic heuristics.
D) phonemes.

Accepted Answer

Jillian's improvement from saying "punkins" to "pumpkins" indicates a gain in her use of phonemes, which are the smallest units of sound in a language that distinguish one word from another.

Question 13

Semantics is the component of language concerned with
A) understanding the meaning of words and word combinations.
B) specifying rules for how words can be arranged into sentences.
C) creating novel messages from a finite number of symbols.
D) correctly pronouncing the prefixes, suffices, and root words of a language.

Accepted Answer

Semantics specifically deals with the meaning of words and combinations of words in a language. The other options refer to different components of language such as syntax and phonology.

Question 14

The fact that language has rules that govern the arrangement of words into phrases and sentences refers to the
A) generative aspect of language.
B) phonemic aspect of language.
C) continuity aspect of language.
D) structured aspect of language.

Accepted Answer

The statement refers to the structured aspect of language which specifies the rules that determine how words can be combined into meaningful phrases and sentences. Options A, B, and C are not accurate descriptions of the given statement.

Question 15

Our ability to reason constitutes primarily
A) a behavioral activity.
B) a cognitive activity.
C) a learned activity.
D) an objective activity.

Accepted Answer

Reasoning is a cognitive activity as it involves mental processes such as perception, memory, and problem-solving. While it can be influenced by behavioral and learned factors, it is primarily a cognitive process. Objective activity is not a relevant option as reasoning involves subjective interpretation and evaluation of information.

Question 16

Symbols that convey meaning,plus rules for combining those symbols that can be used to generate an infinite variety of messages are known as
A) language.
B) telegraphic speech.
C) an overextention.
D) semantics.

Accepted Answer

Symbols that convey meaning and rules for combining those symbols to generate a variety of messages are characteristics of language. Telegraphic speech refers to early language development where toddlers omit non-essential words when speaking. Overextension refers to when a child uses a word in a broader sense than its intended meaning. Semantics is the study of meaning in language.

Question 17

During the first half of the 20th century,the study of cognition was discouraged because
A) earlier studies using the method of introspection had reliably mapped the structure of consciousness.
B) of the theoretical dominance of behaviorism.
C) cognition was not considered to be a psychological function.
D) language acquisition was viewed as an innate process that could not be studied empirically.

Accepted Answer

During the first half of the 20th century, behaviorism was the dominant theoretical framework in psychology, which held that only observable behavior should be studied and that mental processes such as cognition were not legitimate subjects for scientific investigation. As a result, the study of cognition was discouraged during this time.

Question 18

The area of psychology that refers broadly to mental processes or thinking is
A) introspection.
B) cognition.
C) mentalism.
D) intelligence.

Accepted Answer

"Cognition" refers to mental processes such as perception, memory, attention, and problem-solving. "Introspection" is a method of self-observation and reporting of inner experiences that was influential in early psychology. "Mentalism" is a broad term that can refer to any philosophy or theory that focuses on mental phenomena, and is not specific to psychology. "Intelligence" is a trait or capacity that encompasses cognitive abilities, but is not the same as the study of mental processes.

Question 19

Phonemes are the smallest units of ____ in a spoken language; morphemes are the smallest units of ____ in a language.
A) sound; meaning
B) sound; syntax
C) meaning; sound
D) meaning; syntax

Accepted Answer

Phonemes are the smallest units of sound in a spoken language, while morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in a language. Therefore, option A is the best choice.

Question 20

The component of language that would be evident if an individual recognizes that "give" and "take" have opposite meanings is
A) syntax.
B) phonology.
C) generativity.
D) semantics.

Accepted Answer

Semantics refers to the meaning of words and the rules for combining them to create meaning. Understanding that "give" and "take" have opposite meanings is an example of semantic knowledge. Syntax (A) refers to the rules for organizing words into sentences, while phonology (B) refers to the sounds of language. Generativity (C) refers to the ability to produce an infinite number of meaningful sentences using a finite set of rules and words, which is not specifically demonstrated in this example.

Quiz 8: Language and Thought

Which of the following theorists encouraged the study of cognitive activity which helped lead to the cognitive revolution in the 1950s?

Which of the following statements is LEAST accurate?

When the word "oat" is changed to the word "boat," the number of

Cognition refers to

When the word "jar" is changed to the word "jars," the number of

The 1950s brought a "cognitive revolution" in psychology because

The English language contains approximately

The smallest unit of meaning in a language is

During the first half of the 20th century,the study of cognition was discouraged because

Three-year-old Johnny used to say "mikk" when he wanted a drink of milk.Now he is able to say "milk" quite clearly.In this instance,Johnny has made a gain in his use of

The word "psychology" consists of

Last Halloween,4-year-old Jillian called the decorations at her house "punkins." This year she is able to say "pumpkins" when she describes them.In this instance,Jillian has made a gain in her use of

Semantics is the component of language concerned with

The fact that language has rules that govern the arrangement of words into phrases and sentences refers to the

Our ability to reason constitutes primarily

Symbols that convey meaning,plus rules for combining those symbols that can be used to generate an infinite variety of messages are known as

During the first half of the 20th century,the study of cognition was discouraged because

The area of psychology that refers broadly to mental processes or thinking is

Phonemes are the smallest units of in a spoken language; morphemes are the smallest units of in a language.

The component of language that would be evident if an individual recognizes that "give" and "take" have opposite meanings is