Individual Differences in Psychology: Abilities, Styles, and Learning lecture 20

What are individual differences?

Stable patterns of thought and behavior that differ qualitatively and/or quantitatively across individuals.

What are the two broad categories of individual differences according to cognitive psychologists?

Ability differences and style differences.

What do ability differences refer to?

The capacity to carry out cognitive tasks.

What do style differences refer to?

The way one approaches cognitive tasks.

How is intelligence classically defined?

As an individual's general mental ability.

What is the average IQ score?

100.

What are some types of cognitive capacities measured in intelligence?

Verbal comprehension, sensitivity to problems, syllogistic reasoning, number facility, induction, associative memory, span memory, associational fluency, expressional fluency, spontaneous flexibility, perceptual speed, visualization, spatial orientation, length estimation.

What is the theory of multiple intelligences?

The idea that individuals have many domains in which they can differ intellectually.

What is focused attention?

The ability to maintain attention on a specific stimulus.

What is selective attention?

The ability to focus on a stimulus while ignoring irrelevant stimuli.

What is divided attention?

The ability to attend to multiple relevant stimuli at once.

What does cognitive tempo refer to?

The extent to which individuals delay response while searching for the correct alternative in a context of response uncertainty.

What are the two styles of cognitive tempo?

Impulsive style (rapid response, many errors) and reflective style (slow response, few errors).

What is need for cognition?

The extent to which individuals seek out intellectual tasks and challenges.

How do high-NFC individuals differ from low-NFC individuals?

High-NFC individuals enjoy and derive satisfaction from intellectual challenges more than low-NFC individuals.

What are learning styles?

An individual's preference to learn in a particular modality, such as visual, aural, verbal, or kinesthetic.

What is a common misconception about learning styles?

Many people assume they can only learn using their preferred style and ignore other styles.

What is the best approach to learning according to the lecture?

Using a combination of different modalities.

What are the two main types of individual differences discussed in the lecture?

Differences in ability (like intelligence and attention) and differences in style (like cognitive tempo and learning styles).