Lecture Notes on Categorization, Language, and Problem Solving

These flashcards cover vocabulary and key concepts from the lectures on categorization, language acquisition, and problem-solving, focusing on definitions and important theories.

Definition approach

A method of categorization that doesn't work well for most natural objects.

Family resemblance

The principle that allows recognition of examples of a category even when not all members share the same properties.

Prototype

A typical member of a category used for comparison.

Prototypicality

A measure of how closely an object or concept resembles the typical example of a category.

Typicality effect

The phenomenon where items high in prototypicality are judged more quickly as belonging to a category.

Exemplars

Actual members of a category that a person has encountered.

Exemplar approach

A method of categorization that uses specific instances to explain typicality.

Garden Path sentence

A sentence that initially leads the reader to interpret it one way, but requires reanalysis to understand it correctly.

Lexical decision task

A task that involves determining whether a string of letters is a word.

Biased dominance

The likelihood of selecting one meaning over another for an ambiguous word.

Sequential bilingualism

Acquiring a second language after developing proficiency in a first language.

Priming effect

The phenomenon where exposure to one stimulus influences the response to another stimulus.

Parallel distributed processing theory

A connectionist model proposing that concepts are represented by activity spread across a network.

Environmental context

The relevance of the physical surroundings in determining how people understand sentences.

Universal nature of language

Evidence suggesting that language acquisition follows similar rules across different cultures.

Hierarchical property of language

The organization of language from smaller components like words to larger constructs like phrases and sentences.

Reinforcement in language acquisition

The idea proposed by B.F. Skinner that language is learned through rewards.

Word frequency effect

The phenomenon where high-frequency words are recognized faster than low-frequency words.

Comprehension in psycholinguistics

The principle most closely connected to semantics in understanding meaning.

Functional fixedness

A cognitive bias that limits a person to using an object only in the way it is traditionally used.

Insight problem

A problem that involves a sudden realization of a solution.

Divergent thinking

The ability to generate multiple possible solutions or ideas.

Analytical problem solving

The process that involves complex reasoning and formal strategies in finding a solution.

In vivo problem solving

Research focused on problem-solving techniques in natural settings.

Default Mode Network

A network of brain regions associated with mind wandering and self-referential thoughts.

Mindfulness

The practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one's thoughts and emotions.

Meditation

An approach to cultivating mindfulness which can take forms like focused attention or open monitoring.

Obstacles in problem-solving

Barriers that prevent an individual from moving from their current state to a desired goal.

Circle problem

A specific task that demonstrates the use of analogies in problem-solving.

Analogy in problem-solving

Transferring knowledge from one situation to solve a similar problem.

Categorization

The process of grouping items based on shared properties.

Judgment of categorization

The assessment of whether an item belongs to a certain category based on its features.

Concept representation

The method by which concepts are mentally stored and organized.

Cognitive bias

A systematic pattern of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment.

Eye movement study

A research method used to understand how people interpret sentences based on visual context.

Proficiency in language

The level of skill or competence in using a language effectively.

Cognitive psychology

The study of mental processes such as attention, memory, problem-solving, and language.

Social process of language

The concept that language learning is influenced by social interactions and environments.

Tanenhaus study

An experiment examining how context shapes our understanding of language.

Sprouting activation

The concept from the semantic network model indicating how activation spreads through a network.

Connectionism

A theory of cognitive science that models mental or behavioral phenomena as the emergent processes of interconnected networks.

Expert performance

The ability of knowledgeable individuals to handle complex tasks effectively within their field.

Flexible categorization

The ability to adaptively classify new items into categories based on their properties.

Creative problem-solving

The process involving innovative thinking to find new solutions.

Semantic network model

A theory of how information is organized in the brain through connected concepts.

High prototypicality

A trait of objects that closely resemble the ideal or most common example of a category.

Basic level category

An intermediate level of categories that strikes a balance between too general and too specific.

Language parsing

The process of analyzing a sentence structure to derive meaning.

Obstacles in a problem

Factors that prevent a person from achieving a desired goal.