Chapter 7: Thinking and Intelligence

analytical intelligence

aligned with academic problem solving and computations

algorithm

problem-solving strategy characterized by a specific set of instructions

anchoring bias

faulty heuristic in which you fixate on a single aspect of a problem to find a solution

artificial concept

concept that is defined by a very specific set of characteristics (mathematical forumlas)

availability heuristic

faulty heuristic in which you make a decisions based on information that is the most readily available to you

cognition

thinking, including perception, learning, problem-solving, judgement, and memory

cognitive psychology

field of psychology dedicated to studying the different aspects of how people think

cognitive script

set of behaviors that are performed the same way each time; event schema

concept

category or grouping of linguistic information, objects, ideas, or life experiences

confirmation bias

faulty heuristic in which you focus on information that confirms your pre-existing beliefs

convergent thinking

providing correct or established answers to a problem

creativity intelligence

ability to produce new products, ideas, or inventing novel, new solutions to a problem

creativity

ability to generate, create, or discover new ideas, solutions, and possibilities

crystallized intelligence

characterized by acquired knowledge and the ability to retrieve it

cultural intelligence

ability with which people can understand and relate to those in another culture

divergent thinking

ability to “think outside the box”; to arrive at novel solutions to a problem

dyscalculia

learning disability that causes extreme difficulty in learning/comprehending mathematics

dysgraphia

learning disability that causes extreme difficulty in writing legibly

dyslexia

common learning disability in which letters are not processed properly by the brain

emotional intelligence

ability to understand emotions and motivations of both yourself and others

event schema

set of behaviors that are performed the same way each time; aka cognitive script

fluid intelligence

ability to see complex relationships and problem solve

Flynn effect

the observation that each generation tends to have a notably higher IQ than the last

functional fixedness

inability to see an object as useful for any other purpose than the one for which it was made

grammar

set of rules that convey meaning through the use of lexicon

heuristic

mental shortcut that tends to save time when solving a problem

hindsight bias

belief that the event that just happened wad predictable, even if it really wasn’t

intelligence quotient

IQ; score on a test designed to measure intelligence

language

communication system that involves words to transmit information from one individual to another

lexicon

the words of a given language

mental set

continually using an old solution to a new problem without results

morpheme

smallest unit of language that conveys some type of meaning

Multiple Intelligences Theory

Gardner’s theory that each person possesses 8+ types of intelligence

natural concept

mental groupings that are created “naturally” through your experiences

norming

administering a test to a large population to the data collected can be used to reference the normal scores of a population and its groups

overgeneralization

extension of a rule that exists in a given language to an exception to the rule (common in young children learning language)

phoneme

basic sound unit of a given language

practical intelligence

“street smarts”

problem-solving strategy

method for problem-solving

prototype

best representation of a concept

range of reaction

each person’s response to the environment is uniqu based on their genetic makeup

representative bias

faulty heuristic in which you stereotype someone or something without a valid basis

representative sample

subset of the population that accurately represents the general population

role schema

set of expectations that define the behaviors of a person occupying a particular role

schema

mental construct consisting of a cluster or collection of related concepts

semantics

process by which we derive meaning from morphemes and words

standard deviation

measure of variability that describes the difference between a set of scores and their mean

standardization

when administration, scoring, and interpretation of results are consistent across testing

syntax

manner by which words are organized into sentences

trial and error

problem solving strategy in which multiple solutions are attempted until the correct one is found

triarchic theory of intelligence

Sternberg’s theory that there are three facets of intelligence: practical, creative, and analytical

working backwards

heuristic in which you solve a problem by focusing on the end result