Psych 1101: Thinking and Intelligence

Exam 2

Cognition

The process of acquiring knowledge and understanding; Involves senses, thoughts, and experiences; Thinking

Schema/Schemata

A collection of related concepts or ideas; How we organize information; You have a schema for almost everything

Phonemes

Basic sounds of a language; Similar to syllables; English has 44

Morphemes

Smallest meaningful part of language

Semantics

Meaning of words

Syntax

How words need to be arranged in order to make sentences

Language Development

Doesn’t require formal instruction; Has a critical period for acquisition

Algorithms

Step-by-step problem-solving procedures

Heuristics

Mental strategies or shortcuts used to solve problems; Working Backwards, “Guesstimating”, Profiling

Anchoring

Focusing too heavily on an initial piece of information when trying to make a decision. It is a bigger problem when the person doesn’t already know the topic they are making a decision on

Confirmation Bias

Focusing only on information that confirms your existing beliefs

Hindsight Bias

The belief that something which happened was predictable, even though it wasn’t

Representativeness Bias

Overestimate outcomes based on similarity of something to a prototype or schema; Stereotyping

Availability Bias

Judging how likely something is to happen based off of how easily examples come to mind

General Intelligence Theory

How well can you solve problems and learn new things; How quickly can you think through things

Spearman’s Theory

General Intelligence Theory

Cattell’s Theory

Crystallized and Fluid Intelligence

Crystallized Intelligence

Your acquired knowledge; How much you know; Improves as you age; “Book smarts'“

Fluid Intelligence

How well can you understand relationships between concepts; How well can you solve problems; Similar to General Intelligence; Declines with age

Sternberg’s Theory

Triarchic Intelligence

Triarchic Intelligence Parts

Practical, Analytical, and Creative Intelligence

Practical Intelligence

Applying knowledge to help you get through life; “Common Sense”/ “Street Smarts”

Analytical Intelligence

Your ability to analyze things and solve problems

Creative Intelligence

Ability to think of novel solutions to problems

Gardner’s Theory

Multiple Intelligence Theory

Multiple Intelligence Theory

Every domain of human activity has an intelligence associated with it

Emotional Intelligence

Ability to understand your emotions and the emotions of others; Understanding social cues and relationships; Ability to exercise empathy

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

Most commonly used measure of intelligence

Standford-Binet

First widely-used IQ test; Goal to assess children to identify developmental delays or intelligence deficiencies

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)

Most commonly-used IQ test for children; Tests cognitive ability in 5 different domains

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

Most commonly used IQ test for adults

Genetic Component of IQ

~ 70% - 80%

Range of Reaction

Genetically set potential range for intelligence, but environment determines where your IQ falls within that range