Ch. 8

Question 1

Algorithm

Answer 1

step-by-step learned procedure used to solve a problem

Question 2

Availability Heuristic

Answer 2

heuristic that involves estimating the likelihood of an occurrence based on the ease with which it comes to mind

Question 3

Babbling

Answer 3

intentional vocalization that lacks specific meaning

Question 4

Bilingual

Answer 4

Proficient and fluent at speaking and comprehending two distinct languages

Question 5

Cognitive Bias

Answer 5

systematic error in thinking

Question 6

concept

Answer 6

our knowledge and ideas about a set of objects, actions, and characteristics that share core properties

Question 7

decision making

Answer 7

the process of selecting among a set of possible alternatives

Question 8

Dialect

Answer 8

language variation used by a group pf people who share a geographic proximity or ethnic background

Question 9

extralinguistic information

Answer 9

elements of communication that aren’t part of the context of language but are critical to interpreting it’s meaning

Question 10

framing

Answer 10

the way a question is formulated that can influence the decisions people make

Question 11

functional fixedness

Answer 11

difficulty conceptualizing that an object typically used for one purpose can be used for another

Question 12

Generative

Answer 12

allowing an infinite number of unique sentences to be created by combining words in novel ways

Question 13

Hindsight bias

Answer 13

our tendency to over estimate how well we could have predicted something after it occurred

Question 14

Homesign

Answer 14

system of signs invented by children with hearing loss of hearing parents who receive no language input

Question 15

Language

Answer 15

largely arbitrary system of communication that combines symbols (words or sign gestures) in rule-based ways to create meaning

Question 16

language acquisition device

Answer 16

hypothetical construct in the brain in which nativists believe knowledge of syntax resides

Question 17

Linguistic determination

Answer 17

view that all thought is represented verbally and that, as a result, our language defines our thinking

Question 18

linguistic relativity

Answer 18

view that characteristics of language shape out thought process

Question 19

mental set

Answer 19

phenomenon of becoming stuck in a specific problem-solving strategy, inhibiting our ability to generate alternatives

Question 20

Metalinguistic

Answer 20

awareness of how language is structured and used

Question 21

morpheme

Answer 21

smallest meaningful unit of speech

Question 22

nativist

Answer 22

account of language acquisition that suggests children are born with some basic knowledge of how language works

Question 23

one-word stage

Answer 23

early period of language development when children use single word phrases to convey an entire thought

Question 24

phoneme

Answer 24

category of sounds our vocal apparatus produces

Question 25

phonetic decompostion

Answer 25

reading strategy that involves sounding our words by drawing correspondences between printed letters and sounds

Question 26

problem solving

Answer 26

generating cognitive strategy to accomplish a goal

Question 27

representative heuristic

Answer 27

heuristic that involves judging the probability of an event by its superficial similarity to a prototype

Question 28

semantics

Answer 28

meaning derived from words and sentences

Question 29

sign language

Answer 29

language developed by members of a community with hearing loss that uses visual rather than auditory communication

Question 30

Social pragmatics

Answer 30

account of language acquisition that proposes that children infer what words and sentences mean from context and social interactions

Question 31

syantax

Answer 31

grammatical rules that govern how words are composed into meaningful strings

Question 32

thinking

Answer 32

any mental activity or processing information

Question 33

Types of thinking

Answer 33

Learning, remembering, perceiving, communicating, believing, and decoding

Question 34

whole word recognition

Answer 34

reading strategy that involves identifying common words based on their appearance without having to sound them out