AP Psychology : Cognition

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Psychology

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Example Questions

Example Question #3 : Language

How did Noam Chomsky propose that we acquire language?

Possible Answers:

We are born with an innate capacity to rapidly learn language

We acquire the native language of our parents

We acquire language through teachings from caregivers and peers

We acquire the dominant language of the society in which we live

Correct answer:

We are born with an innate capacity to rapidly learn language

Explanation:

Noam Chomsky proposed that we all are born with a "language acquisition device" in our minds, which gives us universal principles of human language. We learn our language's own "settings" for human communication according to these universal principles. For instance, if all human language has temporal tenses, we learn how our particular language expresses tense. Although the behaviorists believe we only learn language through our environment, Chomsky pointed out that we learn language very quickly through processes that appear similar to the human species, regardless of environment.

Example Question #3 : Language

What's the difference between semantics and syntax?

Possible Answers:

Semantics is concerned with how we assign meaning in language; syntax is concerned with the structure of human language and its idiosyncrasies

Semantics studies the structure of sound and how certain sounds reflect meaning in language; syntax is the study of how we assign meaning to units of sound

Semantics is concerned with the structure of human language and its idiosyncrasies; syntax is concerned with how we assign meaning in language.

Semantics is concerned with the acoustics of sound; syntax is concerned with patterns of sound across language

Correct answer:

Semantics is concerned with how we assign meaning in language; syntax is concerned with the structure of human language and its idiosyncrasies

Explanation:

Semantics and syntax are fields of linguistics that concern different aspects of language. Syntax is primarily concerned with the universal properties and idiosyncrasies of the structure of language. For example, syntax studies how we construct our language an speech, and how we form certain phrases and clauses. Semantics is concerned with deciphering meaning in language by looking at its logical structure, the meaning of words, or how it is represented cognitively.   

Example Question #3 : Language

What, according to Hockett, is a unique property and linguistic universal of human language?

Possible Answers:

Communication, which allows us to signal back and forth from one another

Emotive, the ability to convey complex human emotions, which are unique to the human species

Displacement, which allows us to communicate about events or objects which are not immediately apparent

Semanticity, which allows us to assign a meaning to auditory units

Correct answer:

Displacement, which allows us to communicate about events or objects which are not immediately apparent

Explanation:

Displacement is a unique property of human language. The only possible exception is in the case of bees, which may have a method of communicating directions to a plant they found. Other than this, we are unique in our ability to discuss events or objects that are not immediately apparent such as places far away, the past, and the future. Some have even theorized this was where the need for language began.

 

Example Question #4 : Language

How can syntax influence the meaning of what we say?

Possible Answers:

In English syntax, the overall structure of a sentence can be used to convey the emotions of the speaker. For instance, sentences with fewer words and less structural complexity indicates anger, sadness, or boredom. If someone asks "How are you doing?" and the person replies "Okay," they are more likely experiencing negative emotions than if they replied with a more detailed and structurally complex sentence such as "I'm doing alright today."

In English syntax, we know the verb comes after the subject in a setence. Hence we know in the sentence "The cop carded the student" that "carded" isn't used as the noun "card," but instead is being used as a verb, as in the cop demanded the student for their card.

In syntax, certain sounds and pitches are used to convey a particular meaning. For instance, high pitched tones are often used to convey affection, particularly from mothers to their children.

None of these.

Correct answer:

In English syntax, we know the verb comes after the subject in a setence. Hence we know in the sentence "The cop carded the student" that "carded" isn't used as the noun "card," but instead is being used as a verb, as in the cop demanded the student for their card.

Explanation:

Syntax is primarily concerned with the ordering of words and phrases, and their respective grammatical functions. That said, it assists in conveying meaning but is not the singular mode to express meaning. For instance, independent of whether or not the word "cat" is ordered in a particular way in a sentence, we know the word refers to a small fluffy feline animal. This is semantics.

However, if we place "cat" at the beginning of the sentence—"the cat sniffed the pigeon"—we know the cat is performing the action of sniffing. But once we reverse the order so that the sentence is "the pigeon sniffed the cat," we know the cat is being sniffed by the pigeon. The order of the nouns, verbs, and objects is determined by the syntactic rules of a language thus assists in conveying meaning.

Example Question #51 : Cognition

Which of the following is a phoneme of the English language?

Possible Answers:

The "a" in "cat" and "crate" since it manifests as two different sounds in different phonetic contexts

None of these

"im-", since this can be added to words to create new meanings (impossible, improbable, etc.)

"C", because it is a sound that is able to distinguish meaning between two words

Correct answer:

"C", because it is a sound that is able to distinguish meaning between two words

Explanation:

The "C" sound—represented phoenetically as [k], a voiced velar stop—is a phoneme of the English language. Phonemes are units of sound that can distinguish meaning in a language. Another example would be "G" and "B." Since "boat" and "goat" would sound exactly the same if it weren't for the first consonant, we know the first consonant is used to distinguish between the meaning of these two words. Therefore, we know that both "B" and "G" are phonemes of English.

 

Example Question #4 : Language

What is the holophrastic stage of language acquisition?

Possible Answers:

When babies babble

When babies combine words to form simple commands

When babies begin to acquire syntactic rules, but overgeneralize them

When babies speak in single words

Correct answer:

When babies speak in single words

Explanation:

At this particular stage of language acquisition, babies are transitioning away from babbling and beginning to develop communication using whole words. They can only say simple words and cannot combine them, even into simple commands, which is the next stage of acquisition.

Example Question #11 : Language

Which area of the brain is responsible for speech comprehension?

Possible Answers:

Amygdala

Cerebellum

Wernicke's area

Corpus callosum

Broca's area

Correct answer:

Wernicke's area

Explanation:

Wernicke's area, located in the upper temporal lobe, contains motor neurons involved in the comprehension of speech. A person with a malfunctioning Wernicke's area will have difficulty understanding what others are saying. Broca's area is involved in producing speech, and none of the other answer choices are directly involved in speech-related processes.

Example Question #54 : Cognition

Which theorist coined the term language acquisition device (LAD)?

Possible Answers:

Jean Piaget

B. F. Skinner

Lev Vygotsky

Noam Chomsky

Correct answer:

Noam Chomsky

Explanation:

Noam Chomsky's theory of language development suggests that children possess the inherent ability to acquire language. When exposed to any given language, children pick it up easily because they have a kind of "universal grammar" that allows them to understand the commonalities between all languages.

Example Question #12 : Language

Which is the following is true about the process of learning language?

Possible Answers:

Social interactions do not play a significant role in language acquisition

There is not a innate biological ability to acquire language

The language a child learns does not impact their perception of the world

Children tend to overgeneralize grammatical rules after they first learn them

Children can speak language better than they can understand it

Correct answer:

Children tend to overgeneralize grammatical rules after they first learn them

Explanation:

The correct answer is that children tend to overgeneralize grammatical rules after they first learn them-- a process unsurprisingly called overgeneralization.

As for the other answers, children understand language better than they can speak it (think about how your dog can understand some english but can't produce it), social interactions and innate biological ability play roles in acquiring language, and the language a child learns does impact their perception of the world according to Whorf's linguistic relativity hypothesis. 

Example Question #11 : Language

Regarding language acquisition, Noam Chomsky argued which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Humans are born with innate language acquisition devices

Language is a learned behavior through operant conditioning

None of the other answers

Language is a learned behavior acquired exclusively through receptive skills (reading and listening)

Language acquisition is dependent on socio-cultural setting

Correct answer:

Humans are born with innate language acquisition devices

Explanation:

In opposition to behaviorists such as B.F. Skinner, Noam Chomsky argued that humans are born with the ability to acquire language. He put forth the idea that all humans, regardless of socio-cultural differences, have the same naturally underlying language learning abilities.

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