AP Psychology Unit 2: Intelligence Theories, Classical & Operant Conditioning

Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory

• Proposes that there are three distinct types of intelligence: analytical, creative, and practical.

  • Practical: People are especially adept at behaving in successful ways in their own external environments

  • Creative: One’s ability to use existing knowledge to create new ways to handle new problems or cope in new situations

  • Analytical: Used to solve problems and is the kind of intelligence that is measured by a standard IQ test

Spearman’s General Intelligence

• The idea that one overall mental ability influences how well a person performs on all kinds of cognitive tasks, such as reasoning, problem-solving, and memory

  • Components of General Intelligence: Working Memory, visual-spatial processing, fluid reasoning, knowledge, and Quantitative Reasoning

Cattell-Horn-Carroll Intelligence Theory

• Explains intelligence as a combination of multiple abilities rather than just one

  • Stratum III: General intelligence (g) – overall mental ability

    Stratum II: Broad abilities (such as fluid intelligence, crystallized intelligence, memory, and processing speed)

    Stratum I: Narrow abilities – specific skills within each broad ability

Emotional Intelligence

• Ability to recognize, understand, manage, and use your own emotions and the emotions of others effectively.

Fluid Intelligence

Involves being able to think and reason abstractly and solve problems. Considered independent of learning, exeperience, and education. Tends to decline during late adulthood.

Crystallized Intelligence

Involves knowledge that comes from prior learning and past experiences. Based upon facts and rooted in experiences. As we age and accumulate new knowledge and understanding, this intelligence becomes stronger.

Unconditioned Stimulus

A stimulus that naturally causes a response (Food causes salivation)

Unconditioned Response

A natural, automatic response to the Unconditioned Stimulus (Salivating when food is in your mouth)

Neutral Stimulus

A stimulus that does not cause the response at first (A bell before it is paired to food)

Conditioned Stimulus

A previously neutral stimulus that triggers a response after learning (A bell after it has been paired with food)

Conditioned Response

A Learned response to the Conditioned Stimulus (Salivating when hearing the bell)

Acquisition

The process of learning the association between the Conditioned Stimulus and Unconditioned Stimulus (Repeatedly ringing a bell before giving food until salivation occurs)

Discrimination

The ability to tell the difference between similar stimuli (salivating to a bell but not to a buzzer)

Generalization

Responding similarly to stimuli that are similar to the Conditioned Stimulus (Salivating to similar bell sounds)

Extinction

What the conditioned response weakens or disappears because the Conditioned Stimulus is no longer paired with the Unconditioned Stimulus (The bell rings repeatedly without food, and salivation stops)

Spontaneous Recovery

The return of a conditioned response after a break, even after extinction (After a break, salivation briefly returns when the bell rings)

Taste Aversion

Learning to avoid a food after it causes illness (Getting sick after eating sushi and avoiding sushi later)

Positive Reinforcement

Adding something good to increase a behavior (Getting praise for doing homework)

Negative Reinforcement

Removing something unpleasant to increase a behavior (Buckling a seatbelt to stop the cars beeping)

Positive Punishment

Adding something unpleasant to decrease a behavior (Getting detention for talking in class)

Negative Punishment

Taking away something good to decrease a behavior (Losing phone privilege for breaking curfew)

Shaping

Teaching a behavior by rewarding steps towards it (Rewarding a dog for sitting longer each time)

Primary Reinforcer

A reward that satisfies a basic need (Food of Water)

Secondary Reinforcer

A learned reward linked to primary reinforcers (Money or grades)

Fixed Ratio

Reinforcement after a set number of responses (Getting paid after every 10 items made)

Variable Ratio

Reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses (Slot Machines)

Fixed Interval

Reinforcement after a fixed amount of time (A Paycheck every two weeks)

Variable Interval

Reinforcement after varying amounts of time (Checking your phone and sometimes having a new message)