chapter 7 thinking and intelligence psychology

cognition

thinking

what is cognitive psychology

field of psychology dedicated to examining how people think

concepts

categories of information, idea, images, and experiences that share a common characteristic or attribute

prototype

a strong example or representation of a concept

natural

mental groupings that are created ‘naturally’ through our experiences

schema

a mental collection of related concepts that organizes information and allows brain to work more efficiently

artificial

concept defined by a very specific set of characteristics/rules

language

communication system that involves using words and systematic rules to organize those words to transmit information from one individual to another

lexicon

words of a given language (vocabulary)

grammar

set of rules for organizing words to convey meaning

phonemes

basic sound unit

morphemes

smallest use of language that conveys meaning

semantics

process by which we derive meaning from words

syntax

the organizational form of sentences

problem solving

the thoughts and actions required to achieve a certain goal; a process for finding a solution

what are the three ways to problem solving

trial and error, algorithm, heuristic

mental set

the process of using the same way to solve problems because it worked before

functional fixedness

thinking about objects for the way they were mean to be used

hindsight bias

thinking an event that just happened was predictable “I knew that was going to happen”

confirmation bias

focusing on information that supports one’s existing beliefs

availability heuristic

Tendency to make a decision based on an example, information, or recent experience that is readily available to you, even though it may not be the best example to inform your decision

what is an example of availability heuristic

after 9/11 people became terrified to fly on planes

creativity

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

divergent thinking

one’s ability to come up with creative solutions to solve problems

convergent thinking

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

intelligent quotient (iq)

a score earned on a test designed to measure intelligence

what is average iq on the iq bell curve

100

what is considered a gifted iq

anything above 130

what is considered below average

below 70

what percent of the population falls between 85-115

68%

what are some critiques to IQ testing

Racial, cultural, and language variations in test scores

Scores influences by socioeconomic status and access to educational material

IQ tests assess only some types of intelligence

One thing that IQ tests measure is the ability to take tests

what is the nature perspective on intelligence

intelligence is inherited from a person’s parents

what is the nurture perspective on intelligence

intelligence is shaped by a child’s environment