Psych Intelligence and thinking Unit 7

cognition

how information is processed and manipulated into remembering, thinking and knowing

AI

useful for speed, persistence and vast memory.

thinking

manipulating information mentally by forming concepts, solving problems and making decisions.

concepts

mental categories that are used to group objects, events and characteristics. concepts = making categories with information. (apple and oranges are fruits)

prototype model

ties into concepts. When determining of something fits into a certain category, people compare the object to a ‘prototype’, the most stereotypical item in the category. (we see a hummingbird, so we compare it with a generic bird, such as a cardinal).

problem solving, reasoning, and determining

problem solving = finding the appropriate way to attain a goal when it is not available. several steps, over coping mental obstacles, developing expertise

reasoning - transforming information to reach conclusions

determining - evaluating alternatives and choosing among them.

subgoals

intermediate goals to solve tat put us in a better position for reaching the final goal. (first find materials, then organize materials, then make flashcards, etc..) work backwards (helps)

algorithms and heuristics

algorithms - strategies that gaurentee a solution to a problem. (formulas, instructions, recipes, GPS).

heuristics - shortcut strategies or guidlines that suggest a solution but do not gaurentee one (if you have Q, you know you need U in a game of Scrabble)

functional fixedness

when individuals fail to solve a problem because they are fixated on a thing’s usual function.(cant figure out how to nail a screw, and not thinking of using a shoe because that is not a shoe’s function)

inductive reasoning

reasoning from specific observations to make generalizations. (throwing a whole carton of sour milk away after tasting a little bit, or turning on your phone and expecting it to not kill you, because it has never tried to do that before).

deductive reasoning

reasoning from a general case that we know to be true to ta specific instance. draw conclusions based on knowledge and facts (all organisms need O2, squirrels are organisms,so they need O2 too).

loss aversion

tendency to weigh potential losses more heavily than potential gains (chances of winning are much higher than losing, much person still decides not the play, (playing it safe)).

confirmation bias

searching for information that only confirms the opinion that you have, and ignoring information that does not confirm it.

hindsight bias

saying “oh I already knew that” after something happens when you didn’t actually.

availability heuristic

prediction about the probability of an event based on the ease of recalling similar events (the availability of similar events makes it easier to imagine the one proposed). (kid wants to be a doctor, family (non-college ppl) can’t imagine kid being doctor).

representativeness heuristic

tendency to make judgements about group membership based on physical appearances or stereotypes rather than base rate info. (in a lineup, you don’t know who the murderer is, but you choose the most disheveled, criminal looking one). not all ppl are criminals = base rate info. physical appearance/stereoype = criminal-lookin’ guy

base rate neglect

tendency to ignore information about general principles in favor of very specific but vivid information. (an expert tell you to do something, but you don’t do it because your friend tells you not to).

critical thinking

critical - thinking reflectively and productively and evaluating evidence

mindfulness

being alert and mentally present for ones everyday activities.

creative thinking

ability to think about something in a novel or unusual way and devise unconventional solutions to problems

divergent vs convergent thinking

divergent - many solutions to the same problem (brainstorming)

convergent - single best solution to a problem (narrowing down)

intelligence

an all-purpose ability to do well on cognitive tasks, solve problems ,and vlearn from experiences.

validity and reliability

Validity - the extent to which a test measures what it is intended to measure. (anxiety test should test only anxiety)

reliability - a test gives a consistent, reproducible measure of performance. (same thing over and over again)

intelligence quota (IQ)

individuals mental age divided by chronological age multiplied by 100. an intelligence test.

normal distribution

bell shaped curve.majority of scores falling in the middle of the possible range. shows how IQ scores are spread out across a population.

culture fair tests

intelligence tests that are intended to be culturally unbiased. very hard to make because there are cultural influences in everything.

giftedness

high intelligence (IQ = 130 or higher) and/or superior talent in a particular area. domain specific (not a jack of all trades).

intellectual disability

a condition of limited mental ability in which an individual has low cognitive abilities and has difficulty adapting to every day life.

triarchic theory of intelligence

analytical, - ability to judge, evaluate compare, contrast, etc

creative, - ability to create, design, invent, etc

practical intelligence - ability to use, apply, implement, etc.

language

a form of communication that is based on system of symbols.

syntax

languages rules for combining words to form acceptable phrases and sentences.

semantics

the meaning of words and sentences in a particular language. (the bycicle talks the child into buying a candy bar) semantics is basically the meaning of words

Noam Chomsky theory of language development

humans came into the world biologicallyy preqried to learn language at a certain time and in a certain way.

environmental influences for language development

language is a complex learned skill, according to behaviorists.