Thinking, Language, & Intelligence

These flashcards cover key concepts and definitions related to thinking, language, and intelligence from the lecture notes.

What is cognition?

Mental activities involved in acquiring, retaining, and using knowledge.

What are the two forms of mental representations that thinking often involves?

Mental images and concepts.

What is a prototype?

The most typical instance of a particular concept.

What does the term 'functional fixedness' refer to?

The tendency to view objects as functioning only in their usual way, preventing the recognition of other uses.

What are the three problem-solving strategies mentioned?

Trial and error, algorithms, and heuristics.

What is the availability heuristic?

The probability of an event judged by how easily previous occurrences of that event can be recalled.

What is the linguistic relativity hypothesis?

Differences among languages cause differences in the thoughts of their speakers.

What is comprehension vocabulary?

The words that are understood by an infant or child.

At what age do infants start cooing?

At about 3 months.

What is bilingualism associated with according to recent research?

Better ability to control attention and inhibit distracting information.

How is intelligence defined?

The global capacity to think rationally, act purposefully, and deal effectively with the environment.

Who devised the first intelligence tests for the French government?

Alfred Binet.

What is the intelligence quotient (IQ)?

A measure of general intelligence derived by comparing an individual’s score with the scores of others in the same age group.

What did Lewis Terman adapt from the Stanford-Binet test?

The concept of intelligence quotient (IQ).

What did David Wechsler design?

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS).

What is the key difference between an achievement test and an aptitude test?

An achievement test measures knowledge or skill in a specific area, while an aptitude test assesses a person's capacity to benefit from education or training.

What is reliability in the context of psychological testing?

The ability of a test to produce consistent results upon repeated administration.

What is the g factor?

The notion of a general intelligence factor responsible for a person’s overall performance on tests of mental ability.

What is Howard Gardner’s theory about intelligence?

Mental abilities are independent of each other, and there are multiple intelligences.

What are the three distinct forms of successful intelligence according to Robert Sternberg?

Analytic, Creative, and Practical intelligence.

What is the heritability estimate for intelligence in the general population?

Approximately 50 percent.

What does the two pots analogy illustrate?

It illustrates that individual differences in height within a group are due to genetics, while differences between groups are due to environmental factors.

What was the focus of the Black Intelligence Test of Cultural Homogeneity (BITCH)?

To investigate the influence of culture on intelligence testing.