SHS 367 EXAM 3 QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS WITH FULL SOLUTIONS,
UPDATED 2026, GRADED A+,
SUCCESS GUARANTEED
1. Syntactic and Semantic Processing
Irreversible Passives: Passive wording of irreversible sentences does not
lead to longer processing times.
o The Logic: In a sentence like "The cookie was eaten by the boy," the
roles are fixed (a cookie cannot eat a boy). Because the semantics are
"irreversible," the brain doesn't have to work as hard to figure out who
did what, even in a complex passive structure.
Modular Processing: This theory suggests that different parts of language
perception (like syntax, phonology, and semantics) are separate processes
that run independently without interaction from other processes.
2. Models of Ambiguity: The Unrestricted Race Model
When we encounter a sentence that could have two meanings, how does the brain
choose?
Unrestricted Race Model: A processing model where all methods and
likelihoods are competing, and the fastest to comprehend the sentence is the
"winner."
o If the winner turns out to be wrong (a "garden path"), the brain must
then go back and re-analyze.
3. Anaphora and Information Flow
How we refer back to things (anaphora) and how we introduce new ideas changes
the speed of our comprehension.
, The Categorical Effect: When a categorical antecedent (e.g., "The bird")
is used before a specific anaphor (e.g., "The robin"), it takes longer to
process than if a specific antecedent was used.
o Faster: "The robin flew away. The robin was red."
o Slower: "The bird flew away. The robin was red." (The brain has to
do extra work to "connect" the general category to the specific bird).
Information Placement: New information is typically stressed and placed
at the end of a sentence. This follows the "Given-New" contract, where we
start with what the listener knows and end with the new "punchline."
4. Roles and Thematic Relations
"Justice" as a Theme: In linguistic "Thematic Role" theory, justice is most
likely to be a Theme.
o Theme: The entity that is moved by the action or whose location/state
is described (e.g., "Justice was served").
Interference of naming and reading a color simultaneously shows that some aspects
of language processing are -ANSWER✔✔automatic
People with anomia have trouble writing and speaking some words, but have no
difficulty understanding those words when read or heard. This suggests the
existence of -ANSWER✔✔different input and output lexicons
A specific language impairment (SLI) is characterized by a language deficiency
and -ANSWER✔✔no other accompanying deficits
Whats true about the worlds funniest joke -ANSWER✔✔it isn't very funny
ANSWERS WITH FULL SOLUTIONS,
UPDATED 2026, GRADED A+,
SUCCESS GUARANTEED
1. Syntactic and Semantic Processing
Irreversible Passives: Passive wording of irreversible sentences does not
lead to longer processing times.
o The Logic: In a sentence like "The cookie was eaten by the boy," the
roles are fixed (a cookie cannot eat a boy). Because the semantics are
"irreversible," the brain doesn't have to work as hard to figure out who
did what, even in a complex passive structure.
Modular Processing: This theory suggests that different parts of language
perception (like syntax, phonology, and semantics) are separate processes
that run independently without interaction from other processes.
2. Models of Ambiguity: The Unrestricted Race Model
When we encounter a sentence that could have two meanings, how does the brain
choose?
Unrestricted Race Model: A processing model where all methods and
likelihoods are competing, and the fastest to comprehend the sentence is the
"winner."
o If the winner turns out to be wrong (a "garden path"), the brain must
then go back and re-analyze.
3. Anaphora and Information Flow
How we refer back to things (anaphora) and how we introduce new ideas changes
the speed of our comprehension.
, The Categorical Effect: When a categorical antecedent (e.g., "The bird")
is used before a specific anaphor (e.g., "The robin"), it takes longer to
process than if a specific antecedent was used.
o Faster: "The robin flew away. The robin was red."
o Slower: "The bird flew away. The robin was red." (The brain has to
do extra work to "connect" the general category to the specific bird).
Information Placement: New information is typically stressed and placed
at the end of a sentence. This follows the "Given-New" contract, where we
start with what the listener knows and end with the new "punchline."
4. Roles and Thematic Relations
"Justice" as a Theme: In linguistic "Thematic Role" theory, justice is most
likely to be a Theme.
o Theme: The entity that is moved by the action or whose location/state
is described (e.g., "Justice was served").
Interference of naming and reading a color simultaneously shows that some aspects
of language processing are -ANSWER✔✔automatic
People with anomia have trouble writing and speaking some words, but have no
difficulty understanding those words when read or heard. This suggests the
existence of -ANSWER✔✔different input and output lexicons
A specific language impairment (SLI) is characterized by a language deficiency
and -ANSWER✔✔no other accompanying deficits
Whats true about the worlds funniest joke -ANSWER✔✔it isn't very funny
