PSCH 352, Summer 2005            Prof. Trina Kershaw            Quiz 4              Name:__________________
Part 1: Multiple Choice. For each question please select the alternative that is the BEST answer to the question. 
Please check over your answers carefully.  The multiple choice section is worth 10 points (1 point/question). 
If you’d like to add anything as to why you chose your answer, please write your comments next to the answer
you chose.  Correct answers are in bold.

1. _____________ is a characteristic of human languages that allows us to talk about times other than the present.
A. displacement
B. naming
C. arbitrariness
D. productivity

2. One characteristic of all human languages is the feature of arbitrariness, which means:
A. language permits us to talk about times other than the present.
B. that the connection between a word and what the word means is not inherent or built-in.
C. that human language is learned by interaction with the culture and one’s parents.
D. that language is novel and consists of utterances that have never been said or comprehended before.

3. Which of the following is NOT a finding from reading research?
A. We fixate for a long time on unfamiliar words the first time they are presented.
B. We make references and inferences while reading.
C. We fixate on every word.
D. We integrate what we read into a situation model.

4. Which of the following theories of conceptual combination suggests that an interpretation of a noun-noun pair
must always convey information beyond what the two nouns can convey by themselves?
A. dual process model
B. schema modification model
C. CARINmodel
D. constraint theory

5. A patient with ___________ would have a particularly hard time with the following problem: “The tiger killed the lion.
Which animal died?” or any other question that requires syntax to answer.
A. Wernicke’s aphasia
B. Broca’s aphasia
C. conduction aphasia
D. anomia

6. Which of the following is NOT a criterion for mild cognitive impairment (MCI)?
A. objective memory impairment
B. impaired other cognitive function
C. normal activities of daily living
D. dementia criteria not met
7. Tun et al. (1998) studied gist-based processes in normal cognitive aging by using Roediger & McDermott’s false
memory paradigm. Which of the following is true of Tun et al.’s results on the recognition test?
A. Older adults performed worse than younger adults when the distractors were not related to the targets.
B. Older adults performed just as well as younger adults when the distractors were semantically related to the targets.
C. There was no difference between younger and older adults no matter what the relationship between the targets
and the distractors was.
D. Older adults performed worse than younger adults when the distractors were semantically related to the targets.

8. Morris et al. (2001) recognized that a CDR score of .5 could be derived in different ways. They split patients with a CDR score
of .5 into three groups and followed them for 5 years. Which of the following MCI groups was most likely to convert to Alzheimer’s disease?
A. A CDR of .5 that was due to memory impairment plus impairment in at least 3 other dimensions.
B. A CDR of .5 that was due to memory impairment plus impairment in 2 or fewer of the other dimensions.
C. A CDR of .5 that was only due to memory impairment.
D. A CDR of 0.

9. Which of the following cognitive functions is NOT impaired in AD?
A. executive functioning
B. recognition memory
C. attention
D. language

10. Which one of the following is NOT a possible interpretation of Ryan et al.’s (2002) study on caffeine and time-of-day
effects in older adults?
A. Stimulants can lead to improvement in performance on memory tasks.
B. Older adults perform better on cognitive tasks in the morning than they do in the evening.
C. Decreased performance in the evening by older adults is the result of decreased physiological arousal.
D. Decreased performance in the evening by older adults is the result of a failure to use rehearsal strategies.

Part 2: Short Answer Questions. The point values for each question are listed next to the question.  Please keep your answers brief.
This section is worth 10 points.

1. Give two reasons why a situation model is like a schema and explain these reasons.
Acceptable answers include any two of the following:
-both preserve the gist meaning
-general world knowledge informs both schemata and situation models
-both lead to semantic integration
-can be helpful to comprehension
-can also be unhelpful to comprehension


2. According to Roberts & Kreuz (1994), why do people use figurative language? How is this related to Hockett’s
language universals? (2 pts.)
People use figurative language to accomplish discourse goals (listing specific goals ok to if connect it to
second part of question). This is related to Hockett’s language universals in that language is productive
or generative, and therefore we can use novel language to communicate. Other reasonable connections ok too.


3. Contrast Broca and Wernicke’s aphasias. What are the two double dissociations illustrated by these patients? Explain. (2pts.)
The two double dissociations are between production and comprehension of speech, and between syntax and
semantics. Patients with Broca’s aphasia have trouble producing speech, but can comprehend speech, while the
opposite is true for patients with Wernicke’s aphasia: they can produce speech but can’t comprehend it. In
addition, Broca’s patients have difficulty with syntax, but preserved semantics, while Wernicke’s patients
have semantic difficulties while showing preserved syntax.


4. What is the HAROLD model? How do older adults compensate for declines in cognitive functioning, according to
Cabeza (2002)? (1 pt.) HAROLD is hemispheric asymmetry reduction in older adults (you did not have to spell
out the acronym). Older adults compensate for declines by showing bilateral activation on tasks that younger
adults show unilateral activation (or hemispheric specialization).


5. List two predictors of conversion from MCI to AD.(1 pt.)
Lots of possibilities here: age, APoE4, reduction in hippocampal volume, lower glucose metabolism in R
temporoparietal cortex, disruption of semantic network as seen in Estevez-Gonzalez et al. (2004) famous
faces naming task.


6. Why is education a protective factor against AD?  (1 pt.) Education is protective in 2 ways: 1) Greater education
protects the brain through enhanced connections, etc. but 2) People who have more education tend to be healthier;
they exercise more, eat better, have better healthcare, etc.


7. What is the relative impact of AD on semantic and phonemic fluency? What is the explanation for the difference? (1 pt.)
People with AD show greater impairments in semantic fluency over phonemic fluency. A disruption to the semantic
network leads to impairments on semantic fluency measures.