Example multiple choice questions Psychology of Language – chapters 1 to 6
1. One basic feature of language use is its incrementality. This means that____:
a. language is processed step by step.
b. language is acquired throughout life.
c. language is embedded in a physical context.
d. language use is multimodal in nature.
2. When you are diving and use your hand to make the conventional “OK-sign” to your instructor, this
gesture is an example of a(n):
a. emblematic gesture.
b. indexical gesture.
c. iconic gesture.
d. beat gesture.
3. Words sometimes consist of smaller meaningful elements, such as the plural marker -s that can
turn a singular noun (“tree”) into a plural noun (“trees”). This linguistic feature is studied in a branch
of linguistics that is called____
a. morphology.
b. phonetics.
c. pragmatics.
d. phonology.
4. For answering which research question would the use of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(fMRI) be a suitable method?
a. How fast does the brain respond to grammatical errors in sentence-initial vs. sentence-
final positions?
b. Which brain areas are active when people gesture (vs. do not to gesture) during
naturalistic face-to-face conversation?
c. Do people experience stronger emotions when stories are read in an expressive (vs. non-
expressive) voice?
d. Are different brain areas are active when people process metaphorical vs. literal
statements?
5. The [p] sound and the [k] sound in the word “park” would be referred to as two____:
a. allophones.
b. bilabial sounds.
c. phonemes.
d. voiced stops.
6. A writing system in which written forms map onto units of meaning, is called ______; a writing
system in which written forms map onto units of sound, is called ______.
a. alphabetic; syllabic.
b. logographic; syllabic.
c. logographic; alphabetic.
d. alphabetic; logographic.
7. While _____ is the study of raw speech sounds, ____ is the study of grammatical properties.
a. morphology; semantics.
b. phonetics; syntax.
c. pragmatics; syntax.
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, d. phonology; morphology.
8. The booba/kiki example [see image] is an example of ____:
a. symbolic signal
b. cultural frame shifting
c. ontogenesis
d. form-meaning pairings
9. Four basic assumptions underlie language: embodiedness, embeddedness, mental models and
incrementality. While the sender-receiver model is an example of ____, the fact that we use our body
to communicate is part of ____:
a. embeddedness; mental models
b. mental models; embodiedness
c. embodiedness; embeddedness
d. incrementality; mental models
10. The ‘ok’ sign [see image] is an example of an ____, while the sound ‘beep’ is a form of ____:
a. emblem; iconic gesture
b. beat gesture; iconic gesture
c. symbolic gesture; indexical gesture
d. pointing gesture; symbolic gesture
11. In the evolution of language, mimesis = the development of gestures, signs and
singing. However, there is the binding problem. What is the definition of the binding problem?
a. The affordances of the medium (television, radio, phone, etc.) shape the form and even the
potential content of the message.
b. Verbal or non-verbal reactions to messages that indicate whether a message is seen heard and/or
understood.
c. For successful comprehension, the addressee needs to be able to integrate information that is
communicated by a speaker.
d. Language allows to talk about entities that are no longer present in our immediate environment.
12. What does McLuhan (1964) mean with ‘the medium is the massage’?
a. The content of a message is influenced by the medium that conveys it.
b. Language can be seen as a medium that extends the human senses and cognition.
c. New technologies/new media change how we use language to communicate.
d. To understand a message, we pay attention to the content of a message (what is said) and the form
of the message (how it is said).
13. The sender-receiver model uses the concept of ____, following back-channel responses between
sender and receiver to elaborate on communication.
a. displacement
b. binding
c. mental model
d. encoding and decoding
14. Which of the following tasks is not one of the four major tasks faced by language users, according
to the Language User Framework?
a. memory retrieval: finding linguistic representations in Long Term Memory
b. processing representations: converting linguistic input into thought and vice versa
c. using Working Memory: storing linguistic half-products temporarily during recoding
d. acquiring new language skills: learning new words and grammar rules
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1. One basic feature of language use is its incrementality. This means that____:
a. language is processed step by step.
b. language is acquired throughout life.
c. language is embedded in a physical context.
d. language use is multimodal in nature.
2. When you are diving and use your hand to make the conventional “OK-sign” to your instructor, this
gesture is an example of a(n):
a. emblematic gesture.
b. indexical gesture.
c. iconic gesture.
d. beat gesture.
3. Words sometimes consist of smaller meaningful elements, such as the plural marker -s that can
turn a singular noun (“tree”) into a plural noun (“trees”). This linguistic feature is studied in a branch
of linguistics that is called____
a. morphology.
b. phonetics.
c. pragmatics.
d. phonology.
4. For answering which research question would the use of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(fMRI) be a suitable method?
a. How fast does the brain respond to grammatical errors in sentence-initial vs. sentence-
final positions?
b. Which brain areas are active when people gesture (vs. do not to gesture) during
naturalistic face-to-face conversation?
c. Do people experience stronger emotions when stories are read in an expressive (vs. non-
expressive) voice?
d. Are different brain areas are active when people process metaphorical vs. literal
statements?
5. The [p] sound and the [k] sound in the word “park” would be referred to as two____:
a. allophones.
b. bilabial sounds.
c. phonemes.
d. voiced stops.
6. A writing system in which written forms map onto units of meaning, is called ______; a writing
system in which written forms map onto units of sound, is called ______.
a. alphabetic; syllabic.
b. logographic; syllabic.
c. logographic; alphabetic.
d. alphabetic; logographic.
7. While _____ is the study of raw speech sounds, ____ is the study of grammatical properties.
a. morphology; semantics.
b. phonetics; syntax.
c. pragmatics; syntax.
1
, d. phonology; morphology.
8. The booba/kiki example [see image] is an example of ____:
a. symbolic signal
b. cultural frame shifting
c. ontogenesis
d. form-meaning pairings
9. Four basic assumptions underlie language: embodiedness, embeddedness, mental models and
incrementality. While the sender-receiver model is an example of ____, the fact that we use our body
to communicate is part of ____:
a. embeddedness; mental models
b. mental models; embodiedness
c. embodiedness; embeddedness
d. incrementality; mental models
10. The ‘ok’ sign [see image] is an example of an ____, while the sound ‘beep’ is a form of ____:
a. emblem; iconic gesture
b. beat gesture; iconic gesture
c. symbolic gesture; indexical gesture
d. pointing gesture; symbolic gesture
11. In the evolution of language, mimesis = the development of gestures, signs and
singing. However, there is the binding problem. What is the definition of the binding problem?
a. The affordances of the medium (television, radio, phone, etc.) shape the form and even the
potential content of the message.
b. Verbal or non-verbal reactions to messages that indicate whether a message is seen heard and/or
understood.
c. For successful comprehension, the addressee needs to be able to integrate information that is
communicated by a speaker.
d. Language allows to talk about entities that are no longer present in our immediate environment.
12. What does McLuhan (1964) mean with ‘the medium is the massage’?
a. The content of a message is influenced by the medium that conveys it.
b. Language can be seen as a medium that extends the human senses and cognition.
c. New technologies/new media change how we use language to communicate.
d. To understand a message, we pay attention to the content of a message (what is said) and the form
of the message (how it is said).
13. The sender-receiver model uses the concept of ____, following back-channel responses between
sender and receiver to elaborate on communication.
a. displacement
b. binding
c. mental model
d. encoding and decoding
14. Which of the following tasks is not one of the four major tasks faced by language users, according
to the Language User Framework?
a. memory retrieval: finding linguistic representations in Long Term Memory
b. processing representations: converting linguistic input into thought and vice versa
c. using Working Memory: storing linguistic half-products temporarily during recoding
d. acquiring new language skills: learning new words and grammar rules
2
