M8 Thinking, Language and Intelligence

Thinking

Attending to information, representing it mentally, reasoning about it, and making judgments and decisions about it

Concepts

Mental categories used to group objects, relations, events, abstractions, or qualities that have common properties

Prototypes

Good examples of a category of concept

Algorithm

A specific procedure for solving a type of problem that yields correct answers if the right formula is used

Heuristics

Shortcuts or mental rules of thumb used to solve a problem

Means-end analysis

A heuristic where one evaluates and reduces the difference between the current situation and the goal

Analogies

Referring to a previous problem to solve a new problem

Insight

A sudden perception permitting the solution to a problem (often associated with Gestalt psychology)

Expertise

A factor in problem-solving where experts use parallel processing, whereas novices use serial processing

Mental Sets

The tendency to use an approach that was previously successful with a similar problem

Incubation

Standing back from a problem for a while, which may allow the solution to come in a flash of insight

Functional Fixedness

The tendency to think of an object only in terms of its familiar function

Representativeness Heuristic

Making judgments about events according to the population of events that they appear to represent

Availability Heuristic

An estimate of probability based on examples of relevant events

Anchoring and Adjustment Heuristic

A decision-making heuristic where a first estimate serves as an anchor, and adjustments are made based on new information while remaining close to the anchor

Framing Effect

The context in which information is presented affects decision making

Overconfidence

Being unaware of the flimsiness of assumptions and working to bring about results that fit one's judgments

Language

The communication of information by means of symbols arranged according to rules of grammar

Semanticity

The property of language where sounds or signs have meaning

Infinite Creativity

The capacity to create rather than imitate sentences

Displacement

The capacity to communicate information about another time or place

Linguistic-Relativity Hypothesis

The hypothesis that language structures the way we perceive the world

Prelinguistic Vocalizations

Early sounds such as crying, cooing, and babbling

Holophrase

Single words that express complex meanings

Telegraphic Speech

Two-word sentences that are grammatically correct (e.g., "Baby go sleep")

Overregulation

The application of regular grammatical rules to irregular verbs and nouns (e.g., "Daddy goed away")

Language Acquisition Device (LAD)

An inborn tendency that prepares the nervous system to learn grammar, proposed by Nativist theory

Intelligence

The underlying ability to understand the world and cope with its challenges

g factor

Spearman's term for general intelligence

s factor

Spearman's term for specific intelligence

Multiple Intelligences

Howard Gardner's theory proposing various independent intelligences, such as musical, kinesthetic, and intrapersonal

Triarchic Theory of Intelligence

Robert Sternberg's theory identifying three types of intelligence

Analytical Intelligence

Academic ability involving mental steps or components used to solve problems

Creative Intelligence

The ability to cope with novel situations, generate multiple solutions, and use experience to foster insight

Practical Intelligence

"Street smarts" or the ability to read and adapt to everyday life

Emotional Intelligence

Intrapersonal and interpersonal skills involving self-insight, self-control, and empathy

Convergent Thinking

Thought limited to present facts

best used in intelligence testing

Divergent Thinking

Free association to elements of a problem

best used in measuring creativity

Mental Age

A measure produced by the Binet-Simon scale indicating the intellectual level at which a child is functioning

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

A score reflecting the relationship between mental age and actual age

Heritability of Intelligence

The degree to which variations in IQ scores (between 40% and 60%) can be explained by heredity

Flynn Effect

The substantial rise in IQ scores in the Western world between 1947 and 2002