Unit 2 Cognition (2.5-2.8)

Myers, 4th ed. Modules 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8a, 2.8b, 2.8c, 2.8d

semantic memory

explicit memory of facts and general knowledge

episodic memory

explicit memory off personally experienced events

memory consolidation

the neural storage of a long-term memory

flashbulb memory

a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event

encoding specificity principle

the idea that cues and contexts specific to a particular memory will be most effective in helping us recall it

mood-congruent memory

the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's good or bad mood

serial position effect

our tendency to recall best the last items in a list initially, and the first items in a list after a delay

interleaving

a retrieval practice strategy that involves mixing the study of different topics

anterograde amnesia

an inability to form new memories

retrograde amnesia

an inability to remember information from one's past

proactive interference

the forward-acting disruptive effect of older learning on the recall of new information

retroactive interference

the backward-acting disruptive effect of newer learning on the recall of old information

repression

in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banished from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories

reconsolidation

a process in which previously stored memories, when retrieved, are potentially altered before being stored again

misinformation effect

occurs when a memory has been corrupted by misleading information

source amnesia

faulty memory for how, when, or where information was learned or imagined

deja vu

that eerie sense that "I've experienced this before"; cues from the current situation may unconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience

intelligence

the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations

general intelligence (g)

according to Spearman and others, underlies all mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test

factor analysis

a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items on a test; used to identify different dimension of performance that underlie a person's total score

fluid intelligence (Gf)

our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease with age, especially in late adulthood

crystallized intelligence (Gc)

our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age

Cattel-Horn-Carroll (CHC) Theory

the theory that our intelligence is based on g as well as specific abilities, bridged by Gf and Gc

savant syndrome

a condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill, such as in computation or drawing

grit

in psychology, passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals

emotional intelligence

the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions

intelligence test

a method for assessing an individual's mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others, using numerical scores

achievement test

a test designed to assess what a person has learned

aptitude test

a test designed to predict a person's future performance

mental age

a measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the level of performance typically associated with children of a certain chronological age

Stanford-Binet

the widely used American revision (by Terman) of Binet's original intelligence test

intelligence quotient (IQ)

defined originally as the ratio of mental age (ma) to chronological age (ca) multiplied by 100

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

the most widely used intelligence tests; they contain verbal and performance (nonverbal) subtests

psychometrics

the scientific study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits

standardization

defining uniform testing procedures and meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested group

Flynn effect

the rise in intelligence test performance over time and across cultures

reliability

the extent to which a test yields consistent results, as assessed by the consistency of scores on two halves of the test, on alternative forms of the test, or on retesting

validity

the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to

content validity

the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest

construct validity

how much a test measures a concept or trait

predictive validity

the success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict; it is assessed by computing the correlation between test scores and the criterion behavior

longitudinal study

research that follows and retests the same group of people over time

cohort

a group of people sharing a common characteristic, such as being from a given time period

cross-sectional study

research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time

growth mindset

a focus on learning and growing rather than viewing abilities as fixed

fixed mindset

the view that intelligence, abilities, and talents are unchangeable, even with effort

stereotype threat

a self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype