language
what is a morpheme?
smallest language unit that carries meaning
what is savant syndrome? what neurological disorder does it often accompany?
A condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional, specific skill; autism spectrum disorder
what is a cohort?
a group of people sharing a common characteristic
what is stereotype threat?
a self-fulfilling concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype
What is the meaning behind Noam Chomsky's concept of 'universal grammar'?
all humans have a built-in predisposition to learn grammar rules
What is an achievement test designed to test and how does that differ from what an aptitude test is designed to test?
achievement test = assess what a person has learned (in a class) ; aptitude test = predicts a person's future performance
which study method follows the same group of people over time, assessing them periodically.
longitudinal
what chromosomal abnormality causes down syndrome?
an extra copy of chromosome 21
in the context of infant language development, what is telegraphic speech?
speaks like a telegram using mostly nouns and verbs (want juice, go car)
Alfred Binet came up with the idea of 'mental age'. How is it used?
it's a measure of test performance; low scorers are given a low mental age, while high scorers are given a high mental age
describe a cross-sectional study.
research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time
What intelligence test score is the cut-off for diagnosing an individual as intellectually disabled?
70 or below denotes intellectual disability
the limited period of time during which an individual can learn and become fluent in a language is called a _____________.
critical / sensitive period
describe the normal curve (bell curve).
the bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes; most scores fall near the average (middle) and few and fewer scores lie near the extremes (ends)
what are cohort effects? what study method do they affect?
cohort effects = when the shared experiences of an age group affect the results of the study; affects the cross-sectional method
what is fluid intelligence? does it increase or decrease with age?
our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease with age
damage to broca's area manifests as __________, while damage to wernicke's area manifests as __________
broca's damage = person won't be able to form words ; wernicke's damage = person won't be able to speak sensible sentences
define crystalized intelligence. does it increase or decrease with age?
our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age
Compare the concepts of reliability and validity when it comes to psychological tests.
Reliability = The extent to which a test yields consistent results
Validity = the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it's supposed to