Ch 7: Thinking and Intelligence

Concepts

mental file folder your brain uses to group similar things, ideas, or experiences together so you can understand them quickly. ex)Instead of learning what a "dog" is every single time you see one, your brain uses the concept of a dog. It holds the general idea—four legs, fur, barking—so you instantly recognize a new dog you have never met before

prototype

best example of a concept. ex) rosa parks as a prototype for civil rights activism.

concepts divided into two categories: artificial & natural

artificial: has to define the definition set before it (math equations) // natural: created naturally through your experiences being direct or indirect

schema

blueprint or script for how things work ex)instead of a concept of a dog, a schema is ‘going to the vet’ and everything that occurs when one goes

role schema

applying your assumptions/judgements of how someone would behave based upon their roles

lexicon

collection of words that make up a language/vocab/word bank

phoneme

smallest unit of sound (ex- |b| |p| are phonemes in saying ‘bat’ or ‘pat’)

morpheme

smallest unit language that carries meaning (ex- dog|s, un|happy - both pieces contribute meaning. ‘I’ can also be a phoneme/morpheme)

semantics

the study of what words, phrases, and sentences actually mean

syntax

how words are organized into sentences change their meaning

(dog chased cat vs cat chased dog)

mental set vs functional fixedness

mental set - continue to approach a problem the same way you always have, but it no longer works

functional fixedness - type of mental set where you cannot perceive an object to be used for anything diff than its original purpose. (stapler only used to staple)

Biases

Biases cont.

Biases tend to “preserve that which is already established—to maintain our preexisting knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and hypotheses”

Crystalized vs fluid intelligence

Fluid intelligence helps you tackle complex, abstract challenges in your daily life, whereas crystallized intelligence draws on info you can learn, remember, recall.

Robert Sternberg triarchic theory of intelligence

Howard Gardner proposed 8 types of intelligence (multiple intelligences theory)

linguistic, logical mathematic, musical, bodily kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist

convergent thinking vs divergent thinking

Convergent thinking focuses on finding one correct, logical answer, while divergent thinking “think outside the box” generates many creative and open-ended possibilities.

Flynn effect

refers to the observation that each generation has a significantly higher IQ than the last

heuristic

Heuristics are cognitive strategies, "rules of thumb," or general problem-solving frameworks that function as mental shortcuts. They allow people to simplify complex problems and make decisions quickly and efficiently. ex)buying expensive bottle of wine over cheap one bc ‘expensive things are better’.

Arthur Jensen

believed genetics solely responsible for intelligence

IQ ranges

standard deviation is 15 points. 100 points is average mean. Any IQ score that falls within one standard deviation above and below the mean (between 85 and 115) is considered average,

Maria believes that people who drive expensive sports cars are probably arrogant. She meets a quiet, friendly man driving a Ferrari and is surprised because he doesn't fit her expectation.

What cognitive concept is Maria relying on when she initially expects the man to be arrogant based on what kind of person he "looks like"?

representative

After hearing several news stories about shark attacks, Jason becomes convinced that shark attacks are extremely common and decides he probably shouldn't swim in the ocean.

What cognitive bias is influencing Jason's judgment? Why?

availability

A restaurant advertises a steak dinner as having been reduced from $75 to $35. Even though Emily normally wouldn't pay $35 for that meal, she thinks $35 is a fantastic price because she keeps comparing it to the $75.

What cognitive bias is this?

anchoring

Before an exam, Tyler is convinced that he's going to fail. While taking the exam, he notices every question he doesn't know but barely pays attention to the questions he answers correctly. Afterward, he says:

"See? I knew this exam was going to be terrible."

What cognitive bias is illustrated here?

confirmation

Every time Marcus goes to a restaurant, he expects to:

enter → get seated → receive a menu → order → eat → pay → leave

He doesn't consciously have to figure out what to do each time because he already knows how the event normally unfolds.

What cognitive concept explains this mental blueprint?

cognitive scriptA

Person A:
"I keep thinking about that car accident I saw on the news last week, so I think cars like this must be really dangerous."

Person B:
"That car looks like the kind of vehicle that reckless teenagers usually drive, so I bet it's dangerous."

Both people conclude that the car is dangerous, but they're using different cognitive biases.

Which bias is Person A using, and which is Person B using? Explain the difference.

A: availability // B: representative