Cognition, Language Development, and Intelligence: Key Concepts and Theories

Thinking (cognition)

mental activity that goes on in the brain when a person is processing information 'stream of consciousness' and words and images

Attention

controls the flow of information

Sustained attention

focusing attention for a prolonged period of time

Selective attention

to focus on something when multiple sounds/sensations are working to get your attention

Bottom-up processing

seeking and perceiving visual stimuli = faster

Top-down processing

generating a mental image = slower

Concepts

ideas that represent a class or category of objects, events, or activities

Formal concepts

defined by specific rules or features (what makes a dog a dog?)

Natural concepts

concepts people form as a result of their experiences in the real world (you might imagine your dog or dogs you see in the real world)

Prototype

a concept that closely matches the defining characteristics of that concept

Schema

mental generalization about objects, places, events, and people

Scripts

a kind of schema that involves a familiar sequence of activities

Trial and error (mechanical solution)

problem-solving method in which one possible solution after another is tried until a successful one is found

Algorithms

very specific, step-by-step procedures for solving certain types of problems

Heuristic

educated guess based on prior experience that helps narrow down possible solutions for a problem (also known as rule of thumb)

Functional fixedness

a block to problem solving that comes from thinking about objects only in terms of their typical functions

Mental set

the tendency for people to persist in using problem-solving patterns that have worked for them in the past

Confirmation bias

the tendency to search for evidence that fits one's beliefs while ignoring any evidence that does not fit those beliefs

Creativity

the process of solving problems by combining ideas or behavior in new ways

Convergent thinking

you start somewhere and think inwards on that idea

Divergent thinking

you start somewhere and think outwards from that idea

Divergent thinking strategies

brainstorming, keeping a journal, freewriting, mind or subject mapping

Parietal-Frontal Integration Theory

Frontal and parietal brain areas play the most important roles with regard to brain area and function

Emotional intelligence

awareness of and ability to manage one's own emotions to facilitate thinking and attain goals, as well as the ability to understand emotions in others

EQ

Emotional Quotient

Reliability

the tendency of a test to produce the same scores again and again each time it is given to the same people

Validity

a degree to which a test actually measures what it is supposed to measure

Standardization

the process of giving test to a large group of people that represents the kind of people for whom the test is designed

Norms

scores from the standardization group

Deviation IQ scores

a measure of intelligence that assumes that IQ is normally distributed around a mean of 100 with a standard deviation of about 15

IQ of 130

would be 2 standard deviations above the mean

Cultural bias in IQ tests

Tendency for IQ tests to reflect, in language, dialect, and content, the culture of the test designer(s)

Culturally fair tests

While tests free of cultural bias are desired may be more realistic to create tests that are at least culturally fair

IQ tests validity

IQ tests are generally valid for predicting academic success and job performance

Neuropsychology

IQ tests play an important role in neuropsychology and are useful for evaluating a variety of conditions and disorders

Intellectual disability

A person's behavioral and cognitive skills exist at an earlier developmental stage than the skills of others who are the same chronological age.

IQ falls below 70

A criterion for diagnosing intellectual disability.

Adaptive behavior

Severely deficient for a person of a particular chronological age in the context of intellectual disability.

Causes of intellectual disability

Deprived environments, chromosome and genetic disorders, alcohol during pregnancy.

Gifted

The 2 percent of the population falling on the upper end of the normal curve and typically possessing an IQ of 130 and above.

Terman's longitudinal study

Suggested that giftedness guarantees success; however, there are questions about his objectivity.

Piaget's theory

Theorized that concepts proceed and aid development in language.

Vygotsky's theory

Theorized that language helps an individual develop concepts and ways to control behavior.

Linguistic relativity hypothesis

Thought processes and concepts are controlled by language.

Cognitive universalism

Theory that concepts are universal and influence the development of language.

Phonemes

The smallest units of sound in a language.

Morphemes

The smallest units of meaning in a language.

Syntax

The system of rules for combining words and phrases to form grammatically correct sentences.

Semantics

Rules for determining the meaning of words and sentences.

Pragmatics

Aspects of language involving the practical ways of communicating with others, or the social niceties of language.