PSYC301 - Example Exam Questions - Language Padraic

Example Exam Questions

·        What is the vocabulary explosion? Is it best characterized as a qualitative or quantative change in learning?

·        Give examples of sequences in a phrase structure grammar and finite state grammar. What is the evidence for distinctive processing of these structures?

·         hat is the difference between phrase structure grammar and finite state grammar? Assess the evidence for phrase structure grammar being specific to humans and related to particular brain regions.

·        Why is speech segmentation difficult? Assess the importance of multiple cues to assist in word learning.

·         What is speech segmentation? Why is learning to segment speech difficult? What information in language is used in learning to segment speech, and does this indicate that words are learned independently or interconnectedly?

·         What does it mean to claim that language shapes though? Assess the Saphir-Whorf hypothesis with reference to the results of two published studies investigating the relationship between language and concept discrimination.

·         McMurray’s (2007) model of word learning claims that learning one word has no influence on learning another word. Assess the evidence for…