In what ways does language aid human cognition and cultural development?

Jeff Elman
In what ways does language aid human cognition and cultural development?

a. Knowledge transfer

b. Vicarious experiences

c. Historical record

d. a & c

e. All of the above

Which of the following is not a primitive form of communication?

a. Kanzi the chimpanzee following cooking commands

b. Vervet alarm calls

c. Bee dance

d. Protective coloration in butterflies

e. None of the above

Which of the following is true?

a. There is neither a language gene nor a language organ

b. There is a language organ in Broca's area

c. There is a language gene controlling voluntary localiztion

d. FOXp2 is a language gene

e. There is no language gene, but there is a language organ in Broca's area

Kanzi the bonobo can do all but which of the following:

a. Understanding simple English words

b. Point to lexigrams corresponding to spoken words

c. Vocalize simple English words for communication

d. Comprehend simple syntax in English

Enculturation refers to:

a. Controlled growth of bacteria in a petri dish

b. Being raised in a certain cultural environment and learning about accepted behavior in that environment

c. Integration of cultural values from multiple independently developed cultures

d. Language learning in the context of a foreign culture

Humans have greater memory capacity for English vocabulary than numerical dates because

a. There are more dates to remember than words in a dictionary

b. Words are typically shorter than dates

c. Words have less informational content than dates

d. Words have more semantic structure than dates"

The McGurk effect shows that the speech processing brain is:

a. opportunistic

b. plastic

c. intelligent

d. integrative"
True/False: Genetic analysis of one family with heritable deafness showed that diaphanous is the gene for deafness.

a. True

b. False

Which of the following sentences would Kanzi, the chimpanzee, probably NOT be able to convey?

a. “This car is a lemon.”

b. “I want toy.

c. “I wash potato.”

d. “I am hungry. I want food.”

e. “Good morning.”

True/False – Bees typically only communicate with other bees to describe where nectar is.

a. True

b. False

A person with Broca's Aphasia typically would NOT be able to:

a. Count out loud on their fingers

b. Sing a song

c. Respond to a simple question that required little thought

d. Retell the story of Cinderella from memory

e. Generally understand what is being asked of them

Babies begin to rapidly acquire new words after learning a few because of:

a. Language momentum

b. Word association and categorization

c. Anticipation of words in a sentence

d. Better random word memorization

e. Both b and c

True/False – While numerous parts of the brain are accountable for language, one specific area is accountable for only chess.

a. True

b. False

Babies start learning words so rapidly by creating structure on the mind and grouping words by:

a. concepts and categories

b. part of speech (noun/verb/adjective)

c. phonology

d. all of the above

True/False: Major brain damage in young children is just as cognitively disastous as in adults.

a. True

b. False

True/False: The brain area that processes the meanings of words may also process related background knowledge about the object referred to by the word.

a. True

b. False

Processing language involves:

a. voluntarily controlling vocalizations

b. putting together words into an order as dictated by the language's grammar

c. retrieving the meaning of a word

d. B and C

e. A, B, and C"

True/False The brain areas that process language are only used for processing language.

a. True

b. False

True/False - Animals do not have language, but do communicate in other unique ways.

a. True

b. False

How do babies differentiate between words in a phrase?

a. statistical learning of reoccurring words

b. voice onset time

c. habituation

d. learn syllables first then memorize words based on putting syllables together

e. memorize a large vocabulary and recognize these words in a phrase

True/False - There is a single organ that is responsible for language.

a. True

b. False

A person who had a stroke as an infant:

a. cannot produce language as well as a person who did not have a stroke

b. can function as well as a person who has not had a stroke in terms of intelligence, IQ, etc.

c. cannot move with the same precision as a person who did not have a stroke

d. can produce language normally, but not move with precision when compared to a person who has not had a stroke

e. can move with normal precision, but cannot produce language as well as a person who did not have a stroke."

The brain is integrative. An example of this is:

a. Words are represented all together in an integrated mental word bank

b. Dreams are integrated with other memories

c. Hearing speech and seeing lips move together are integrated for easier speech recognition

d. All of the above

e. None of the above

True/False: If you place a chimp in a pool, it can hold its breath.

a. True

b. False

If you suffer a perinatal focal lesion (have a stroke at birth) in Broca's area, you will likely:

a. Have no language abilities

b. Have nonfluent output but good vocabulary

c. Have fluent output but only be able to produce one sound (tan tan tan)

d. Be able to speak normally"

True/False: FOXp2 is the "language gene".

a. True

b. False

How do bees communicate?

a. Chemical signals/pheromones

b. Protective coloration

c. Alarm calls

d. Dance/Body movement (angle and speed)

e. a and d