Language & Thought
A person uses the word "freedom" to discuss an abstract idea without needing to physically see freedom. Which rule of language does this demonstrate?
What is symbolic language?
A parent praises their child every time they correctly pronounce a new word, encouraging the child to continue using it. Which language acquisition theory explains this?
What is the behaviorist theory?
A toddler understands 100 words but can only say 30 of them. What are the 100 words an example of?
What is receptive vocabulary?
Someone is trying to solve a puzzle but gets distracted by extra information that is not relevant to finding the answer. What cognitive barrier is this?
What is irrelevant information?
Someone chooses a restaurant they recognize instead of trying an unfamiliar restaurant because they feel more comfortable with the familiar option. What heuristic is this?
What is the recognition heuristic?
A student notices that several of their friends prefer online classes and concludes that most college students probably prefer online classes. What type of reasoning is this?
What is inductive reasoning?
Noam Chomsky believed that humans are naturally biologically equipped to develop language. Which theory does this represent?
What is the nativist theory?
An infant says "Mommy go" instead of "Mommy is going to the store." What stage or type of speech does this demonstrate?
What is telegraphic speech?
A student continues using the same study strategy from high school even though it is no longer effective for college exams. What cognitive barrier does this demonstrate?
What are mental sets?
After hearing about several airplane accidents in the news, someone believes flying is much more dangerous than it actually is. What heuristic explains this?
What is the availability heuristic?
Someone knows that all mammals are warm-blooded. They know that whales are mammals, so they conclude that whales are warm-blooded. What type of reasoning is this?
What is deductive reasoning?
A child learns the expressions and vocabulary commonly used by the people in their community. Which language acquisition theory focuses on the influence of culture?
What is the sociocultural theory?
A child calls every four-legged animal a "dog," including cats and horses. What language development error is occurring?
What is overextension?
Someone needs to open a package but cannot think of using a coin to cut the tape because they only think of coins as money. What cognitive barrier is this?
What is functional fixedness?
Someone strongly believes a particular study method works, so they remember every successful exam grade but ignore the times they performed poorly using the same method. What cognitive error is this?
What is confirmation bias?
Two people hear the word "cheap." One thinks it means affordable, while the other thinks it means poor quality. What concept explains these different interpretations?
What is connotation?
A psychologist believes language develops through a combination of biological abilities, reinforcement, and social experiences. Which theory supports this explanation?
What is the interactionist theory?
A child knows that most plural words end in "s" and starts saying "foots" instead of "feet." What language error does this demonstrate?
What is overregularization?
A student is given a problem and assumes they can only use the materials specifically mentioned in the instructions, even though other materials are available. What barrier does this demonstrate?
What are unnecessary constraints?
A student hears their friend say an exam will be extremely difficult. Before even seeing the exam, they begin believing it will be difficult and base their expectations around their friend's opinion. What heuristic is this?
What is the anchoring heuristic?
A child learns that words can be arranged in different orders, but changing the order can completely change the meaning of a sentence. What language component governs these rules?
What is syntax?
Genie was rescued from an extremely deprived environment at age 13 and eventually developed some language abilities, although she never fully mastered language. What important debate did her case contribute to?
What is the debate between a critical period and a sensitive period for language acquisition?
Deaf children born into hearing households sometimes create their own communication systems because they have not been exposed to an established sign language. What are these systems called?
What is homesign?
Someone avoids applying for an internship because they imagine how disappointed they will feel if rejected, even though they might not regret trying. What cognitive barrier is influencing their decision?
What is anticipated regret?
Someone claims they knew their favorite sports team would win the championship all along, even though they originally predicted that the team would lose. What cognitive error does this demonstrate?
What is hindsight bias?