Step Up To: Psychology
by John J. Schulte, Psy.D.
From Myers,
Psychology 8e
Worth Publishers
Chapter 10: Thinking and Language
Tell me about it
Mull it Over
Concentrate
Speak their Language
Think before you speak
Concentrate
500
400
300
200
100
Mull it Over
500
400
300
200
100
Tell me about it
500
400
300
200
100
Speak their language
500
400
300
200
100
Think before you speak
500
400
300
200
100
1. A prototype is a:
• A) Mental grouping of similar
objects, events, or people.
• B) step-by-step procedure for
solving problems.
• C) best example of a particular
category.
• D) rule-of-thumb strategy for
solving problems efficiently.
2. When we use the word
“automobile” to refer to a category of
transport vehicles, we are using this
word as a(n):
•
•
•
•
A) phoneme.
B) concept.
C) heuristic.
D) algorithm.
3. Logical, methodical step-by-step
procedures for solving problems are
called:
•
•
•
•
A) heuristics.
B) semantics.
C) prototypes.
D) algorithms.
4. As he attempted to spell the word
“receive,” Tim reminded himself “i
before e except after c.” This
illustrates the use of:
•
•
•
•
A) a prototype.
B) trial and error.
C) a heuristic.
D) an algorithm.
5. When given a candle, tacks, and a
box of matches and asked to mount
the candle on the wall, people often
fail to think of using the matchbox as
a candleholder. This best illustrates:
•
•
•
•
A) functional fixedness.
B) overconfidence.
C) confirmation bias.
D) the availability heuristic.
6. The human tendency toward intellectual
arrogance is best demonstrated by:
•
•
•
•
A) overconfidence.
B) belief perseverance.
C) the framing effect.
D) functional fixedness.
7. People told that a chemical is
projected to kill 10 out of every 10 million
people feel more frightened than if told
the fatality risk is 0.000001. This best
illustrates the importance of:
•
•
•
•
A) belief perseverance.
B) framing.
C) functional fixedness.
D) confirmation bias.
8. We often consider illogical
conclusions that happen to agree with
our personal opinions to be logically
valid. This is known as:
•
•
•
•
A) the availability heuristic.
B) linguistic relativity.
C) belief bias.
D) framing.
9. Which of the following illustrates
belief perseverance?
• A) Your belief remains intact even in the
face of contrary evidence.
• B) You refuse to listen to arguments counter
to your beliefs.
• C) You tend to search for information that
supports your beliefs.
• D) Your beliefs tend to distort logical
reasoning.
10. Experts in the field prefer to use
heuristics instead of algorithms
because heuristics:
• A) guarantee solutions to all
problems.
• B) prevent mental sets.
• C) often save time.
• D) prevent fixation.
11. The spontaneous utterance of a
variety of sounds by infants is
called:
•
•
•
•
A) universal grammar.
B) telegraphic speech.
C) semantics.
D) babbling.
12. Two-year-old Donna’s
sentences— “Dad come,” “Mom
laugh,” and “Truck gone”—are
examples of:
•
•
•
•
A) babbling.
B) artificial intelligence.
C) telegraphic speech.
D) universal grammar.
13. During the earliest stage of
speech development, infants:
• A) speak in single words that may
be barely recognizable.
• B) begin to imitate adult syntax.
• C) make speech sounds only if
their hearing is unimpaired.
• D) make some speech sounds
that do not occur in their parents’
native language.
14. In order to combine words into
grammatically sensible sentences,
one needs to adhere to proper rules
of:
•
•
•
•
A) semantics.
B) syntax.
C) nomenclature.
D) phonics.
15. When 3-year-old Rosalie
complained, “Boris hitted me with a ball,”
she was illustrating the tendency of
young children to:
• A) use telegraphic speech patterns.
• B) imitate the incorrect speech
patterns of others.
• C) receive inadequate reinforcement
for correct language usage.
• D) use certain grammatical rules in
sentence construction.
16. Worf’s linguistic determinism
hypothesis emphasizes that:
• A) infancy is a critical period for
language development.
• B) all languages share a similar
grammar.
• C) our linguistic proficiencies
influence our social status.
• D) words shape the way people
think.
17. Many psychologists are skeptical of
claims that chimps can acquire
language because the chimps have not
shown the ability to:
• A) use symbols meaningfully.
• B) acquire speech.
• C) acquire even a limited
vocabulary.
• D) use syntax in communicating.
18. The problem-solving abilities of forestdwelling chimpanzees are best illustrated
by their naturally developed use of:
•
•
•
•
A) sign language.
B) hand tools.
C) heuristics.
D) artificial intelligence.
19. Beatrice and Allen Gardner taught
the chimpanzee Washoe to
communicate by means of:
•
•
•
•
A) pictures.
B) Morse code.
C) sign language.
D) a simplified typewriter.
20. At some point during the
babbling stage, infants begin to:
• A) imitate adult grammar.
• B) make speech sounds only if
their hearing is unimpaired.
• C) speak in simple words that may
be barely recognizable.
• D) lose their ability to discriminate
sounds that they never hear.
21. We more quickly recognize that a
blue jay is a bird than that a penguin is a
bird because a blue jay more closely
resembles our ____ of a bird.
•
•
•
•
A) heuristic
B) prototype
C) algorithm
D) phoneme
22. Failing to see that an article of
clothing can be inflated as a life
preserver is an example of:
• A) belief bias.
• B) the availability heuristic.
• C) the representativeness
heuristic.
• D) functional fixedness.
23. In relation to ground beef,
consumers respond more positively to
an ad describing it as “75% lean” than to
one referring to it as “25% fat”. This is
an example of:
•
•
•
•
A) the framing effect.
B) confirmation bias.
C) mental set.
D) overconfidence.
24. Phonemes are the basic units of
_____ in language.
•
•
•
•
A) sound
B) meaning
C) grammar
D) semantics
25. Regarding the relationship between
thinking and language, which of the following
most accurately reflects the position taken in
the text?
• A) Language determines everything
about our thinking.
• B) Language determines the way
we think.
• C) Thinking without language is not
possible.
• D) Thinking affects our language,
which then affects our thought.
Stop here, or continue as a review
1. A prototype is a:
• A) Mental grouping of similar
objects, events, or people.
• B) step-by-step procedure for
solving problems.
• C) best example of a particular
category.
• D) rule-of-thumb strategy for
solving problems efficiently.
396
2. When we use the word
“automobile” to refer to a category of
transport vehicles, we are using this
word as a(n):
•
•
•
•
A) phoneme.
B) concept.
C) heuristic.
D) algorithm.
396
3. Logical, methodical step-by-step
procedures for solving problems are
called:
•
•
•
•
A) heuristics.
B) semantics.
C) prototypes.
D) algorithms.
397
4. As he attempted to spell the word
“receive,” Tim reminded himself “i
before e except after c.” This
illustrates the use of:
•
•
•
•
A) a prototype.
B) trial and error.
C) a heuristic.
D) an algorithm.
398
5. When given a candle, tacks, and a
box of matches and asked to mount
the candle on the wall, people often
fail to think of using the matchbox as
a candleholder. This best illustrates:
•
•
•
•
A) functional fixedness.
B) overconfidence.
C) confirmation bias.
D) the availability heuristic.
400
6. The human tendency toward
intellectual arrogance is best
demonstrated by:
•
•
•
•
A) overconfidence.
B) belief perseverance.
C) the framing effect.
D) functional fixedness.
403
7. People told that a chemical is
projected to kill 10 out of every 10 million
people feel more frightened than if told
the fatality risk is 0.000001. This best
illustrates the importance of:
•
•
•
•
A) belief perseverance.
B) framing.
C) functional fixedness.
D) confirmation bias.
402
8. We often consider illogical
conclusions that happen to agree with
our personal opinions to be logically
valid. This is known as:
•
•
•
•
A) the availability heuristic.
B) linguistic relativity.
C) belief bias.
D) framing.
407
9. Which of the following illustrates
belief perseverance?
• A) Your belief remains intact even in the
face of contrary evidence.
• B) You refuse to listen to arguments counter
to your beliefs.
• C) You tend to search for information that
supports your beliefs.
• D) Your beliefs tend to distort logical
reasoning.
407
10. Experts in the field prefer to use
heuristics instead of algorithms
because heuristics:
• A) guarantee solutions to all
problems.
• B) prevent mental sets.
• C) often save time.
• D) prevent fixation.
398
11. The spontaneous utterance of a
variety of sounds by infants is
called:
•
•
•
•
A) universal grammar.
B) telegraphic speech.
C) semantics.
D) babbling.
412
12. Two-year-old Donna’s sentences—
“Dad come,” “Mom laugh,” and “Truck
gone”—are examples of:
•
•
•
•
A) babbling.
B) artificial intelligence.
C) telegraphic speech.
D) universal grammar.
413
13. During the earliest stage of
speech development, infants:
• A) speak in single words that may
be barely recognizable.
• B) begin to imitate adult syntax.
• C) make speech sounds only if
their hearing is unimpaired.
• D) make some speech sounds
that do not occur in their parents’
native language.
410
14. In order to combine words into
grammatically sensible sentences,
one needs to adhere to proper rules
of:
•
•
•
•
A) semantics.
B) syntax.
C) nomenclature.
D) phonics.
411
15. When 3-year-old Rosalie
complained, “Boris hitted me with a ball,”
she was illustrating the tendency of
young children to:
• A) use telegraphic speech patterns.
• B) imitate the incorrect speech
patterns of others.
• C) receive inadequate reinforcement
for correct language usage.
• D) use certain grammatical rules in
sentence construction.
411
16. Worf’s linguistic determinism
hypothesis emphasizes that:
• A) infancy is a critical period for
language development.
• B) all languages share a similar
grammar.
• C) our linguistic proficiencies
influence our social status.
• D) words shape the way people
think.
418
17. Many psychologists are skeptical of
claims that chimps can acquire
language because the chimps have not
shown the ability to:
• A) use symbols meaningfully.
• B) acquire speech.
• C) acquire even a limited
vocabulary.
• D) use syntax in communicating.
426
18. The problem-solving abilities of forestdwelling chimpanzees are best illustrated
by their naturally developed use of:
•
•
•
•
A) sign language.
B) hand tools.
C) heuristics.
D) artificial intelligence.
423
19. Beatrice and Allen Gardner taught
the chimpanzee Washoe to
communicate by means of:
•
•
•
•
A) pictures.
B) Morse code.
C) sign language.
D) a simplified typewriter.
425
20. At some point during the
babbling stage, infants begin to:
• A) imitate adult grammar.
• B) make speech sounds only if
their hearing is unimpaired.
• C) speak in simple words that may
be barely recognizable.
• D) lose their ability to discriminate
sounds that they never hear.
410
21. We more quickly recognize that a
blue jay is a bird than that a penguin is a
bird because a blue jay more closely
resembles our ____ of a bird.
•
•
•
•
A) heuristic
B) prototype
C) algorithm
D) phoneme
396
22. Failing to see that an article of
clothing can be inflated as a life
preserver is an example of:
• A) belief bias.
• B) the availability heuristic.
• C) the representativeness
heuristic.
• D) functional fixedness.
400
23. In relation to ground beef,
consumers respond more positively to
an ad describing it as “75% lean” than to
one referring to it as “25% fat”. This is
an example of:
•
•
•
•
A) the framing effect.
B) confirmation bias.
C) mental set.
D) overconfidence.
406
24. Phonemes are the basic units of
_____ in language.
•
•
•
•
A) sound
B) meaning
C) grammar
D) semantics
410
25. Regarding the relationship between
thinking and language, which of the following
most accurately reflects the position taken in
the text?
• A) Language determines everything
about our thinking.
• B) Language determines the way
we think.
• C) Thinking without language is not
possible.
• D) Thinking affects our language,
which then affects our thought.
422
Acknowledgements
• Step Up Created by:
– John J. Schulte, Psy.D.
• Based on Psychology,
Eighth Edition by
• David Myers
• Published by
• Worth Publishers, 2006
Answers
1.
C
9.
A
17.
D
2.
B
10.
C
18.
B
3.
D
11.
D
19.
C
4.
C
12.
C
20.
D
5.
A
13.
D
21.
B
6.
A
14.
B
22.
D
7.
B
15.
D
23.
A
8.
C
16.
D
24.
A
25.
D