Thinking and Intelligence

Cognitive Psychology

field of psychology dedicated to examining how people think by examining interactions between thinking, emotion, creativity, language, problem solving, etc

Concepts

categories or groupings of linguistic information, images, ideas, or memories (e.g., life experiences) (ex: justice)

Prototype

best example or representation of a concept (woman, dog, feminist)

Natural Concepts

concepts created “naturally” through your direct and indirect experiences

Artificial Concepts

concepts defined by a set of characteristics

Schema

mental construct consisting of a cluster/collection of related concepts

Role Schemata

assumptions about how individuals in certain roles will behave 

Event Schema

set of behaviors that feel like routine

Language

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

Forms Of Communication

Posture, Movement, Odor, Vocalization

Lexicon

words of a given language

Morphemes

combination of phonemes; smallest units of language that convey some type of meaning

Grammar

rules used to convey meaning through the use of a lexicon

Semantics

process by which we derive meaning from morphemes and words

Phoneme

basic unit of sound of a given language

Syntax

the way words are organized into sentences

Chomsky

 believed that the mechanisms underlying language acquisition are biologically determined

Trial and Error

Continue trying different solutions until problem is solved (Restarting phone, turning off WiFi)

Algorithm

Step by step problem solving formula (Instructional video for installing new software on your computer)

Heuristic

general problem solving framework (Working backwards; breaking a task into steps)

Mental set

persisting in an approach to a problem that has worked in the past but clearly is not working now

Functional Fixedness

inability to perceive an object being used for something other than what it was designed for

Anchoring Bias

focus on one piece of information when making a decision/solving a problem

Hindsight Bias

belief that the event you just experienced was predictable

Confirmation Bias

 tendency to focus on information that confirms your existing beliefs

Representative Bias

make a judgment or decision based on your perception of the similarity of the person or thing to your existing stereotypes/prior beliefs

Availability Heuristic

 make a decision based on an example or recent experience that is readily available to you

Spearman

 believed that intelligence has a general factor (g factor)

Cattell

believed that intelligence had two factors: Crystallized and Fluid Intelligence

Crystalized Intelligence

acquired knowledge and ability to retrieve it

Fluid Intelligence

ability to see complex relationships and solve problems

Practical Intelligence

street smart

Analytical Intelligence

ability to analyze, evaluate, judge, compare, and contrast

Creative Intelligence

inventing or imaginigng a solution to a problem or situation

Interpersonal Intelligence

emotional intelligence

IQ

score earned on a test designed to measure intelligence

Buck v Bell

led to the forced sterilization of 65,000 “feeble-minded” individuals

Scientific Racism

use of scientific tools (e.g., IQ) to legitimize racist arguments and assumptions

Standardization

manner of administration, scoring, and interpretation is consistent

Norming

giving a test to a large population so data can be collected comparing groups, such as age groups

Flynn Effect

every generation has a significantly higher IQ than the last, as the tests we use to assess intelligence keep changing

Range Of Reaction

each person responds to the environment in a unique way based on their genetic makeup

Dysgraphia

Difficulty with legible writing

Dyslexia

Inability to correctly process letters

Dyscalculia

Difficulty learning or comprehending arithmetic