Psychology in Your Life Ch 8 Thinking and Intelligence

Thinking

the mental manipulation of sensory input is changed into signals that the brain can process

Analogical Representations

Images. Mental representations that have some of the physical characteristics of objects

Symbolic Representations

Abstract - words or ideas. Abstract mental representations that consist of words or ideas. Hamburger

What forms the basis of human thought, intelligence and the ability to solve complex problems

Analogical and Symbolic representations

Mental maps

A visual image that includes analogical and symbolic representations. A picture of Africa. Not always accurate

Relationship between schemas and representations

Schemas are useful because of consistent attributes, people have specific roles within the context of the situation, we can think effectively about object by categorizing them

Category

A schema to group things based on shared properties. Country music instruments, Orchestral Music instruments

Concept

A mental representation of objects, events or relationships around common themes. Giutar - 6 strings, Trumpet - Brass tubing and played by blowing It can include knowledge about a relationship between items. Violins are smaller than guitars.

Prototype Model

Concepts are organized based on the most typical member of a category. Certain characteristics. They are more representative of that category that are other concepts in the category

Exemplar Model

the flexibility concern in the prototype model by suggesting that a category has no single concept as its best representation. Instead, people form a fuzzy representation based on their experiences.

Stereotypes

Generalizations about events, objects and people. They influence how people think about and behave towards others.

Reasoning

To determine if a conclusion is valid. You use information to determine this

Formal Reasoning

using the standardized and objective procedures of the scientific methods to collect empirical evidence and test hypothesis to see if they are valid

Decision making

You identify important criteria and determine how well each alternative satisfies the criteria

Problem Solving

You overcome obstacles to move from your present state to your desired goal

Heuristics

A rule of thumb as an informal way of making a decision. They require minimal cognitive resources. Unconscious. Result in bias - high price equals high quality

Availability Heuristic

Tendency to make a decision based on information that comes most easily to mind. farmers - librarians

Representativeness heuristic

Tendency to place people of objects in a category if they are similar to the concept that is the prototype. Helena is a cognitive psychologist because her characteristics better match the prototype of a psychologist

Base Rate

The frequency of an event occurring. There are more postal workers than psychologists. Therefore the base rate for postal workers is higher than psychologists. Therefore, an person is more likely to be a postal worker.

Framing

Presenting the same information in a different way to make it more appealing. 75 meat or 25 fat

Two approaches to decision making

maximizing and satisficing.

Maximizing

trying to make the perfect choice among options

Satisficing

Seek to find good enough choice that meets minimum requirements

Four ways of solving problems

Subgoals, Working backwards, Analogy, Sudden Insight

Subgoal

Breaking ultimate goal into smaller, achievable tasks

Working backwards

When the appropriate steps for solving a problem are not clear, proceeding from the goal state to initial state can be helpful

Analogy

Relying on knowledge of similar problem to solve current problems. Surgeon and the fortress

Sudden Insight

You suddenly realize that there is a solution to your problem

Restructuring

Representing the problem in a novel way. The new mental view reveals a solution. Dot puzzle

Mental Sets

Established ways of thinking that can save us time and effort of searching for new types of solutions

Functional Fixedness

Mental representations about the typical functions of particular objects. tack box and candle

Intelligence

a specific instance of adaptive behavior, of coping with the environment and organizing through thought and action

Fluid Intelligence

Involves information processing, especially in novel or complex areas - reasoning, drawing, analogies

Crystalized Intelligence

Involves learned knowledge we acquire through experiences - vocabulary, spelling

Gardener's Theory of Multiple Intelligences contribute to Psychologies understanding of intelligence

It recognizes that people can be average in some intelligences and outstanding in others.

Behavioral Genetics

The study of the basis of behaviors and traits such as intelligence. Twins raised apart are similar in intelliogence

How many genes contribute to intelligence

Thousands and each one of them has only a small effect

Examples of environmental influences that can lead to lower intelligence

poor nutrition
prenatal factors - drugs, alcohol, stress
postnatal factors - family, social class, education, cutlural beleifs
Sitmulation

Infants that were breast fed for 6 months were how many points higher on IQ test

5 - 7 points

Two features in all psychometric intelligence tests

Reliability and Validity

Three types of psychometric tests that measure slightly different but overlapping aspects of intelligence

Achievement tests - ACT, Aptitude tests - SAT, Intelligence tests - Stanford Binet test, WAIS

Achievement

test that assess current skills and knowledge. ACT

Aptitude test

test that measures your ability to learn in the future. SAT

Lewis Terman

Stanford Binet Test. Most widely used test for children

Wilhelm Stern

modified the Binet Simon test and it is now called the Stanford Binet test. Intelligence Quotient.

Intelligence Quotient

numerical value given to intelligence based on score of 100 for average intelligence

WAIS Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

is used to measure intelligence of adults

What two parts make up the WAIS

Verbal measures comprehension and performance measures nonverbal tasks - arranging pictures in order

Mental Age

Binet measured a child's test scores with an individuals level of developement relative to other in that society

Who refined Binets scoring system

Wilhelm Stern refined Binet's system by developing the intelligence quotient.

Children's Intelligence Quotient

A childs IQ is computed by dividing the child's mental age by the chronological age and multiplying the result by 100

Miller Analogy Test

test used for admissions to graduate school as well as hiring decisions in the work place. Predicted academic performance, productivity, creativity and job performance

Cultural Bias

if your culture does not know what a reed is used for then you might do poorly on a test. Does not mean you are not smart

General intelligence tests are closely related to

working memory

Savants

minimal intellectual capabilities inmost domains but exceptional capabilities in some intelligent processes

99.9 percent of genes are the same amount in all humans

one race is not smarter then another

What are some environmental factors that contributes to differences in intelligence in a variety of racial or ethnic groups

Life circumstances, targets of discrimination and pessimism are some environmental factors that contribute to difference in intelligence

Stereo type threat

apprehension that people exhibit if they believe that their performance on tests might confirm negative beliefs about their racial group

Spencer and Walton researched stereotyped threats. What were their conclusions?

Stereotyped groups performed worse than non-steroeotyped groups. Interventions to reduce stereotyped threats are often successful

5 facets of intelligence

Ability to understand complex ideas
Able to adapt effectively to the environment
Can learn from experience
Able to engage in various forms of reasoning
Able to overcome obsticles in life