AP Psychology : Cognition

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Psychology

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Example Questions

Example Question #81 : Cognition

Which of the following is done second when we construct a sentence?

Possible Answers:

Devise the general structure of the sentence

None of these

Convert feelings into thought

Select specific words

Convert intentions into speech

Correct answer:

Devise the general structure of the sentence

Explanation:

After we have a "feeling" of what we want to say, the grammatical structure (i.e. the syntax) is formed as a template for the words we will pick. The term "template" means the categories of words that are being used as well as the combinational rules used to arrange them.

Example Question #82 : Cognition

Which of the following is done third when we create a sentence?

Possible Answers:

Articulate the sentence

Plan out intentions

None of these

Devise the general structure of the sentence

Select specific words

Correct answer:

Select specific words

Explanation:

After getting a "hunch" of what we want to say, we create the grammatical structure for our sentence. Once that is constructed, it becomes our so-called "template.” We fill this template with semantically relevant words. These words are as specific to the meaning we want to convey as possible. For instance, if we want the person we are speaking to know that the cat we are talking about is a young cat, then we would use the word "kitten" instead of "cat.”

Example Question #83 : Cognition

Which of the following is the fourth—and final—step associated with the creation of a sentence?

Possible Answers:

None of these

Subconciously relax our articulation muscles in preparation for the utterance

Get an idea of what we are going to say

Devise the grammatical structure

Articulate the sentence out loud

Correct answer:

Articulate the sentence out loud

Explanation:

Once we have an idea of what we want to say, create the general structure of our sentence, and select the semantically relevant words to use, we have completed the conceptual part of sentence processing. During the fourth step, we are ready to solve how our sentence will sound. This is a complex process, which involves subconsciously knowing the phonemes and their variants of the language.

Example Question #81 : Cognition

When listening to a sentence, the process of using given information to connect new information to memory is best described as which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Conceptual-connections strategy

None of these

Given-new strategy

Memory-additional strategy

Past-present connection

Correct answer:

Given-new strategy

Explanation:

When listening to a sentence, using given information to connect new information to memory is known as the “given-new strategy.” Although the other answers may sound correct, the given-new strategy is a technical linguistic term for what happens when we process sentences. When someone says, "I like eating out too,” the speaker is relying on already established information to add new information. The old information is that the listener has already expressed they like eating out. The new information is that the person speaking also enjoys eating out. 

Example Question #82 : Cognition

Which of the following is the reason why is it important to establish common ground in conversation?

Possible Answers:

None of these

Everyone will feel included

Everyone will get along much better once it has been established

The esteem of all of the speakers will be raised

The parties involved in the conversation can move on with clarity

Correct answer:

The parties involved in the conversation can move on with clarity

Explanation:

Establishing common ground is a commonly studied linguistic phenomenon that happens in conversational exchange. It is the way parties negotiate what the shared knowledge is in the exchange group and henceforth able to continue with the exchange. It is important to find the common knowledge quickly so as to make the interaction efficient. If a person is talking about buying a red chair, then they will not need to say "I need to buy a red chair at a store.” This is because it is common knowledge that things are typically bought at a store of some kind.

Example Question #83 : Cognition

Which of the following best describes a conversational implicature?

Possible Answers:

It is what is implied but not explicitly stated in conversation

It is what is explicitly stated in the conversation

It is was is implied through the face in conversation

It is what is implied through body language conversation

None of these

Correct answer:

It is what is implied but not explicitly stated in conversation

Explanation:

Conversational implicature is the meaning that is conveyed in an utterance that is not explicitly stated. For instance, I ask my friend when she'll be ready to go out and she replies, "make yourself a drink". This is by no means a direct answer to my question, which requests for an amount of time. What is implied is that by the time I will have made a drink and drunk it, she will be ready. This is the conversational implicature.

Example Question #87 : Cognition

Which of the following best describes a prosody?

Possible Answers:

None of these 

The musical potential a sentence has

The meaning of a sentence

The intonation, rythm, and stress of a sentence

The grammatical structure of a sentence 

Correct answer:

The intonation, rythm, and stress of a sentence

Explanation:

Prosody is a linguistic term in phonology. After the speaker subconsciously works out which sounds are involved in their utterance, prosody brings all of these sounds together. The prosodic rules of English will determine the stress of each word, the stress of the sentence, the intonation, and rhythm of the sentence as a whole. Although these rules may be "musical" in a certain respect, the technical linguistic term is prosody.

Example Question #84 : Cognition

Which of the following is an example of a "whimperative"?

Possible Answers:

Would you pass the salt?

None of these

Pass the salt, please.

Why don't you pass the salt when I ask you to?

Pass the salt.

Correct answer:

Would you pass the salt?

Explanation:

A "whimperative" is a linguistic term which is made from "wh" to signify question words and "imperative" to mean commands. A whimperative is a command in the form of a question. The command is thus not fully meant as a question but as a strong request that a person may chose to accept or deny. This is seen almost everywhere such as the following:

"Could you pass the salt?"

"Would you give me a hand with this?"

"Can you please keep it down?"

Note that the construction is primarily made up of conditionals such as "will/could/can/would" as opposed to questions words "who/what/when/why.” Question words signify a request for information. The constructions are such that the answer can only be a yes or no. 

Example Question #89 : Cognition

Which of the following most accurately represents the relationship between age and language learning ability?

Possible Answers:

Learners of a second language aged 7 and younger learn as proficiently as their first; this proficiency gradually decreases for learners older than 7.

Learners of a second language aged 14 and younger learn as proficiently as their first; this proficiency gradually decreases for learners older than 14.

Learners of a second language aged 14 and younger learn as proficiently as their first; this proficiency sharply decreases for learners older than 14.

Learners of a second language aged 7 and younger learn as proficiently as their first; this proficiency sharply decreases for learners older than 7.

Correct answer:

Learners of a second language aged 7 and younger learn as proficiently as their first; this proficiency gradually decreases for learners older than 7.

Explanation:

Early research from the mid-twentieth century seemingly identified a critical period of language learning ability that cuts off after puberty; however, Johnson and Newport challenged this finding in 1989. They studied data from second-language learners and found that, while second-language acquisition prior to age 7 is identical in proficiency to first-language acquisition, learning ability decreases gradually into adulthood—not suddenly with the onset of puberty. This relationship has led researchers to interpret developmental changes in language learning ability as corresponding with lifelong changes in neuroplasticity, rather than puberty specifically.

Example Question #90 : Cognition

Dr. Andrews recruited a group of 50 American, 30-month-old children from English-speaking homes. After acquiring parental permission, he tracked their acquisition of language using various tasks and observational methods. He saw each child every 6 months for three years after the initial session: 3 years (36 months), 3.5 years, 4 years, 4.5 years, 5 years, 5.5 years, and 6 years. Based on the data he collected, he hopes to determine the universal sequence in which all children acquire certain phonemes.

Which of the following best represents a phoneme?

Possible Answers:

An incorrect usage of language

The smallest unit of language that conveys meaning

A rule for constructing meaningful speech

A speech sound that cannot be divided into smaller units

Correct answer:

A speech sound that cannot be divided into smaller units

Explanation:

A phoneme is a single speech sound that cannot be broken down any further. For example, the word mom can be broken down into the sounds “mm,” “ah,” and “mm,” but those three individual sounds cannot be broken down any further and are considered phonemes. A morpheme could be defined as one of “the smallest units of language that conveys meaning.” Syntax is a language’s set of “rules for constructing meaningful speech.” In linguistics, “an incorrect usage of language” that does not abide by a language’s syntactical and semantic rules, which govern sentence construction and word meaning respectively, is termed ungrammatical.

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