34-41 Psych

Cognition

All forms of knowing and awareness: perceiving, conceiving, reasoning, remembering, imagining, judging, etc

Concepts

Mental groups of similar objects

Prototypes

specific things that best represent a category, matches new items into a mental image

Anchoring

Making judgements about new info based on existing information we have

Informal Reasoning

Extremely fast thinking (brain using shortcuts)

Formal Reasoning

Slower thinking ( Following a system/sequence in order to find a solution)

Heuristics

A problem solving strategy using past experience to guide your decision

top down processing

using prior knowledge to interpret info

schema

Framework to organize/understand world by using past experiences

mental sets

focusing on solutions that have worked in the past

mental model

how we process the relationship between items in our mind

algorithm

a set of rules you solve a problem

bottom up processing

interpreting new info thats unfamiliar

syllogism

using logic + deductive reasoning to solve a problem

diagnosis

problem solving by eliminating wrong answers first

Convergent Thinking

Narrowing down solutions and choosing the best possible solution for a problem

Divergent Thinking

Creatively thinking of new solutions to a problem OR solving a problem using a different strategy than normal

Sternburgs Creativity compononents

1. Expertise

2. Imaginative Thinking Skills

3. Venturesome Personality- adventurous

4. Intrinsic Motivation- Motivation from within without external validation

5. Creative Environment

Intelligence

ability to learn, adapt, and critically think

Gardeners 8 intelligence Types

1. Linguistic

2. Logical-mathematical

3. Musical

4. Spatial

5. Body-kinesthetic

6. Intrapersonal

7. Interpersonal

8. Naturalist

Analytical Intelligence

When were trying to solve problems with a single right answer

(Test)

Creative Intelligence

Ability to create new ideas and find unique solutions to problems

Practical Intelligence

Helps with everyday problems and tasks

Emotional Intelligence

Ability to understand, emotions

Achievement Test

Test to show what someone has learned

Aptitude Test

Show what they CAN learn

Grit

passion + perseverance towards long term goals

Brain size studies

Larger brains tend to score slightly higher on IQ tests

Brain complexity studies

Intelligence related more to how the brain is organized than to size alone

Neural Plasticity

The brains ability to change and form new connections

Gray Matter in Brain

involved in thinking and processing of information

White matter in brain

Connects different brain areas and helps communication

Perceptual Speed

Faster reaction/decision times are linked to higher IQ scores

Francis Galton

• Believed intelligence was inherited “ Hereditary Genius “

• Measured reaction time, sensory skills, strength, and body traits

• Methods were ineffective at measuring intelligence

Alfred Binet

• Created tests to identify French students needing school support

• Introduced mental age

• Intelligence could change with education

Mental Age

Level of intellect performance

Chronological Age

Actual age in years

William Stern

• Created the IQ formula:

• IQ = (mental age ÷ chronological age) x 100

• Thought IQ of 100 is average

Stanford-Binet Test

• Revised by Lewis Terman

• IQ test that measures a person’s intelligence and reasoning abilities.

Wechsler Tests

IQ tests that check how well someone thinks and solves problems.

WAIS

adults

WISC

Children

Standardization

Test given to a large representative group

• Scores are compared using a bell curve (normal curve)

Flynn Effect

• Average IQ scores have increased over the generations

• Likely due to better education and environment

Reliability

• A tests consistsncy

test retest reliability

Same results over time

Split half reliability

Two halves of test give similar results

Validity

A tests ability to measure what it claims to measure

Content Validity

covers all aspects of intelligence

predictive validity

predicts future performance

cross-sectional studies

• compare different age groups at one time

• May be affected by cohort differences

longitudinal studies

study the same people over time

• more accurate for aging and intelligence

cohort

a group of people born around the same time period

crystallized intelligence

Knowledge and skills you’ve formed over time

fluid intelligence

ability to solve new problems, think quickly, and reason without prior knowledge

Intellectual disability

Low IQ and difficulty with daily living

Down syndrome

Caused by an extra 21st chromosome

Mainstreamed

Educated in regular classrooms when possible

Terman’s study

gifted children were healthy and successful

Achievement gap

Differences in academic success due to environment

Identical Twin Studies

Identical twins show strong intelligence similarities

• Intelligence is polygenic (many genes involved)

Polygenic

Many genes involved

Heritability

Proportion of intelligence differences due to genetics

• Does not apply to individuals

Environmental Influences

• Early deprivation can harm intelligence

• Socioeconomic status affects learning opportunities

No Mozart Effect

Music exposure alone doesnt increase IQ

Dwecks Mindset

• Fixed and Growth Mindset

Fixed Mindset

intelligence is unchangeable

Growth mindset

intelligence can improve

Gender Similarities and Differences

Females: better spelling, verbal skills, emotion detection

Males: Slightly higher math and spatial skills

Overall intelligence is equal

Individual differences

genetic

group differences

environment

Popular Sense

• the everyday, common understanding of a concept

Scientific Sense

• a precise, research-based definition used by experts

Stereotype threat

• Fear if confirming a sterotype can lower performance

• Affects test scores, not actual ability

Intuition

automatic unreasoned feelings and thoughts

The representative ness heuristic

asses likelihood of something, compare with prototype

the availability heuristic

judge how likely something is based on what comes to mind easily not just facts

ex: hearing news stories ab plane crashes, you now think flying is very dangerous even tho its safer than driving)

confirmation bias

finding evidence that verifies your beliefs and ignoring information that doesn’t

Insight

Sudden realization

Archetypes

Universal symbols or characters that appear across cultures

ex: the hero, the villain, the mentor

Stereotypes

oversimplified beliefs about a group of people

ex: assuming all teenagers are lazy