Chapter 11 Vocabulary

Thinking

changing and reorganizing information stored in your memory to create new information

Image

most primate unit of thought; mental representation of event or object

Symbol

abstract unit that represents an object or quality

Concept

label for a class of objects or events that have at least one attribute in common

Prototype

a representative example of a concept

Rule

the most complex unit of thought; a statement of relation between concepts

Metacognition

awareness of one’s own cognitive process

Algorithm

a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem

Heuristic

a rule-of-thumb problem-solving strategy

Mental Set

a habitual strategy or pattern of problem solving

Functional Fixedness

an inability to imagine new functions for familiar objects

Creativity

the ability to produce work that is both original & functional

Flexibility

the ability to overcome rigidity; breaking set

Recombination

when you rearrange elements of a problem to arrive at an original solution

Insight

the apparent, sudden realization of a solution; an aha moment

Language

a structured, mutually agreed-upon system of arbitrary symbols (words, sounds, & gestures) & grammatical rules to communicate, represent ideas, & express thoughts

Phonemes

individual sounds basic to language

Morphemes

the smallest unit of meaning in language

Syntax

the rules governing language

Semantics

the study of the meaning of language