Psychology Chapter 7 – Thinking and Intelligence

These flashcards review key concepts from Chapter 7—Thinking & Intelligence—including cognition, concepts, schemata, language development, critical periods, and common cognitive biases.

What cognitive processes are encompassed by the term “cognition”?

Perception, knowledge, problem-solving, judgment, language, and memory.

How do sensations become thoughts?

Sensations and information enter the brain, are filtered through emotions and memories, and are then processed into thoughts.

What is a concept in cognitive psychology?

A mental category of linguistic information, images, ideas, or memories used to recognize relationships among experiences.

What is a prototype?

The best or most typical example of a concept (e.g., Gandhi as a prototype of civil disobedience).

Differentiate natural and artificial concepts.

Natural concepts are formed through direct or indirect experience (e.g., snow), whereas artificial concepts are defined by strict rules or characteristics (e.g., geometric shapes).

What is a schema?

A mental construct consisting of a collection of related concepts that helps us make assumptions about people, objects, or situations.

What does a role schema do?

It makes assumptions about how individuals in particular roles are likely to behave (e.g., assumptions about a librarian).

Define an event schema (cognitive script).

A set of routine, automatic behaviors that dictate expected actions in specific situations (e.g., facing the door in an elevator).

Why are event schemas difficult to change?

Because the behaviors they guide are automatic and often reinforced through repetition, making habits hard to break.

Which two brain regions are central to language processing?

Broca’s area (language production) and Wernicke’s area (language comprehension).

At what age does receptive language typically emerge in infants?

Around 4 months, when infants begin to understand spoken words.

When do infants generally begin producing recognizable words?

Around 10 months of age.

Describe Broca’s area.

A region in the left frontal lobe responsible for directing the muscle movements involved in speech production.

Describe Wernicke’s area.

A region in the left temporal lobe involved in language comprehension and expression.

What was Noam Chomsky’s key claim about language acquisition?

That language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined and develop similarly across cultures, even without formal instruction.

Define lexicon.

The complete set of words in a given language.

What is grammar?

The system of rules that governs how words are used to convey meaning in a language.

Differentiate phonemes and morphemes.

Phonemes are the smallest sound units; morphemes are the smallest units that carry meaning.

What is semantics?

The meaning derived from morphemes and words.

What is syntax?

The set of rules for arranging words into sentences.

What is the critical period in language development?

A developmental window when language acquisition is easiest and most efficient; deprivation during this time can severely limit later language mastery.

How did Genie’s case illustrate the critical period hypothesis?

After extreme isolation until age 13, she learned vocabulary but never mastered grammatical structures, showing the impact of missing the critical period.

What is confirmation bias?

The tendency to focus on information that supports existing beliefs while ignoring contradictory evidence.

Define the availability heuristic.

A decision-making shortcut that relies on immediate examples or information that come to mind, regardless of their actual representativeness.

What is anchoring bias?

The tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information encountered when making decisions.

Explain hindsight bias.

The belief, after an event has occurred, that one had accurately predicted the outcome beforehand.

What is normalcy bias?

A state of denial during disasters in which people underestimate both the likelihood and impact of the event.

Describe counterfactual thinking.

Mentally constructing alternatives that are contrary to facts or reality, such as imagining different outcomes to past events.

What is overconfidence bias?

The tendency to overestimate one’s own abilities or the accuracy of one’s judgments.

What is survivorship bias?

Focusing on successful cases that passed a selection process while ignoring those that did not, leading to erroneous conclusions.

Define selective perception bias.

Interpreting information in a way that aligns with existing values and beliefs while ignoring opposing viewpoints.

What does the blind-spot bias refer to?

The tendency to see oneself as less prone to biases than other people.

Why can texting while driving be viewed as an example of an event schema?

The automatic habit of checking and replying to messages illustrates how ingrained event schemas guide behavior even in unsafe contexts.

What question about semantics might appear on a quiz preview for Chapter 7?

“What are semantics?” (Answer: the meanings derived from morphemes and words.)

Which quiz preview prompt refers directly to heuristic types?

“Explain the different types of heuristics.”