SHS 367 EXAM 1 QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS WITH DETAILED
SOLUTIONS, UPDATED 2026, GRADED
A+, GUARANTEED SUCCESS
The Functions of Language
Language serves five primary roles in the human experience:
Communication: The most obvious function—transferring information.
Social Ties: Small talk (phatic communication) used to build and maintain
relationships.
Emotional Release: Using words or sounds to vent "nervous energy" or
intense emotions (e.g., shouting when startled).
Cognitive Support: Language serves as a scaffold for "inner speech,"
helping us organize thoughts and solve problems.
Identity: Establishing who we are and recognizing who others are based on
dialect, accent, and word choice.
Wilhelm Wundt: The Introspectionist
Wundt is often credited with founding the first laboratory for psychological
research.
Philosophy: He believed that mental properties were a valid subject of
scientific study.
Method: He used introspection, where subjects would carefully self-report
their internal thoughts and sensations.
Legacy: While his specific methods fell out of favor, his focus on the mind
laid the groundwork for the eventually emerging Cognitive Revolution.
B.F. Skinner: The Behaviorist
, In the mid-20th century, Skinner shifted the focus entirely away from the internal
"mind" to observable "behavior."
Language as Behavior
Skinner viewed language not as a mental system, but as a verbal behavior shaped
by the environment.
Core Assumptions
Stimulus-Response: Language is acquired through a series of associations.
You see an object (stimulus), say a word (response), and receive a reward
(reinforcement).
Language is Learned: It is not innate; it is a habit developed through
imitation and reinforcement from parents.
Associative Chain Theory: Skinner proposed that sentences are built like a
chain. We learn that certain words frequently follow others. A sentence is
"grammatical" simply because those words appear in a frequently
encountered order.
-language is shaped by imitation and reinforcement
Chomsky
arguments against Skinner (Poverty of stimulus argument)
language assumptions
universal grammar
linguistic competence vs. performance -ANSWER✔✔Poverty of stimulus
argument-we aren't exposed to all possible sentences
-language is innate
-language is creative
-Universal grammar=knowledge of grammar underlying all languages
-linguistic competence=knowledge of language rules "what you know" vs.
linguistic performance=use of language in real situations
ANSWERS WITH DETAILED
SOLUTIONS, UPDATED 2026, GRADED
A+, GUARANTEED SUCCESS
The Functions of Language
Language serves five primary roles in the human experience:
Communication: The most obvious function—transferring information.
Social Ties: Small talk (phatic communication) used to build and maintain
relationships.
Emotional Release: Using words or sounds to vent "nervous energy" or
intense emotions (e.g., shouting when startled).
Cognitive Support: Language serves as a scaffold for "inner speech,"
helping us organize thoughts and solve problems.
Identity: Establishing who we are and recognizing who others are based on
dialect, accent, and word choice.
Wilhelm Wundt: The Introspectionist
Wundt is often credited with founding the first laboratory for psychological
research.
Philosophy: He believed that mental properties were a valid subject of
scientific study.
Method: He used introspection, where subjects would carefully self-report
their internal thoughts and sensations.
Legacy: While his specific methods fell out of favor, his focus on the mind
laid the groundwork for the eventually emerging Cognitive Revolution.
B.F. Skinner: The Behaviorist
, In the mid-20th century, Skinner shifted the focus entirely away from the internal
"mind" to observable "behavior."
Language as Behavior
Skinner viewed language not as a mental system, but as a verbal behavior shaped
by the environment.
Core Assumptions
Stimulus-Response: Language is acquired through a series of associations.
You see an object (stimulus), say a word (response), and receive a reward
(reinforcement).
Language is Learned: It is not innate; it is a habit developed through
imitation and reinforcement from parents.
Associative Chain Theory: Skinner proposed that sentences are built like a
chain. We learn that certain words frequently follow others. A sentence is
"grammatical" simply because those words appear in a frequently
encountered order.
-language is shaped by imitation and reinforcement
Chomsky
arguments against Skinner (Poverty of stimulus argument)
language assumptions
universal grammar
linguistic competence vs. performance -ANSWER✔✔Poverty of stimulus
argument-we aren't exposed to all possible sentences
-language is innate
-language is creative
-Universal grammar=knowledge of grammar underlying all languages
-linguistic competence=knowledge of language rules "what you know" vs.
linguistic performance=use of language in real situations
