Thinking, Language, and Intelligence

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms and definitions related to thinking, language, and intelligence.

Thinking

The process of mentally representing and manipulating information.

Cognition

A general term for thinking, information processing, language, and problem solving.

Mental Images

Visual representations that help us perform cognitive functions.

Concepts

Mental categories for classifying events, objects, and ideas based on common features.

Algorithm

A step-by-step set of rules that will always lead to a correct solution to a problem.

Heuristic

A rule of thumb for solving problems or making decisions, not guaranteed to be correct.

Mental Set

A tendency to rely on strategies that previously worked well in similar situations.

Functional Fixedness

The tendency to perceive objects as limited to their customary functions.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to stick with an initial hypothesis despite strong evidence to the contrary.

Divergent Thinking

The ability to conceive of new ways of viewing situations and new uses for familiar objects.

Convergent Thinking

The attempt to narrow down alternatives to converge on one correct answer.

Language

A system of communication consisting of symbols arranged according to rules to express meaning.

Intelligence

The capacity to think and reason clearly, and to act purposefully in adapting to the environment.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

A measure of intelligence based on performance on tests of mental abilities.

Standardization

The process of establishing norms for a test by administering it to large numbers of people.

Reliability

The stability of test scores over time.

Validity

The degree to which a test measures what it purports to measure.

Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale

Measures intell in children and young adult