Studied by 4 peoplecognition
the mental activity associated with obtaining, converting, and using knowledge
thinking
mental activity associated with coming to a decision, reaching a solution, or forming a belief
concepts
mental categories that are used to group objects, events, and characteristics
formal concepts
the mental representations of categories that are created through rigid and logical rules or features
natural concepts
the mental representations of categories resulting from experiences in daily life
prototype
the ideal or most representative example of a natural concept
problem solving
the variety of approaches that can be used to achieve a goal
trial and error
An approach to problem solving that involves finding a solution through a series of attempts and eliminating those that do not work.
Algorithm
an approach to problem solving using a formula or set of rules that, if followed, ensures a solution
heuristics
problem-solving shortcuts that incorporate a rule of thumb, guideline, or strategy
means-ends analysis
Heuristic procedure in which the problem solver compares the current situation with the desired goal to determine the most efficient way to get from one to the other.
insight
An understanding or solution that occurs in a sudden stroke of clarity
functional fixedness
a barrier to problem solving that involves the tendency to think of objects only in terms of their common uses
decision making
the cognitive process of choosing from alternatives that might be used to reach a goal
availability heuristic
a decision-making heuristic in which our estimates of frequency or probability of events are based on how easy it is to find examples
representativeness heuristic
a decision-making heuristic in which people make judgments about samples according to the populations they appear to represent
confirmation bias
a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence
hindsight bias
mistakenly believing that an event could have been predicted once the actual outcome is known (after-the-fact).
language
a system for using symbols to think and communicate
Phonemes
the basic building blocks of spoken language
Morphemes
the fundamental units that bring meaning to language
grammar
the rules associated with word and sentence structure
Semantics
the rules used to bring meaning to words and sentences
pragmatics
the appropriate use of language in different contexts
intelligence
innate ability to solve problems, adapt to the environment, and learn from experiences
general intelligence
a singular underlying aptitude or intellectual ability that drives capabilities in many areas, including verbal, spatial, and reasoning competencies
triarchic theory of intelligence
Robert Sternberg's theory that describes intelligence as having analytic, creative and practical dimensions
aptitude
Capacity for learning; natural ability
achievement
aquired knowledge, or what has been learned
mental age
A score corresponding to the age level of the most-advanced items a child could answer correctly on Alfred Binet's first intelligence test
intelligence quotient (IQ)
A score from an intelligence assessment; originally based on mental age divided by chronological age, multiplied by 100.
validity
the degree to which a test actually measures what it's supposed to measure
Reliability
the ability of an assesment to provide consistent, reproducible results
standardization
occurs when test developers administer a test to a large sample and then publish the average scores for specified groups
normal curve
Depicts the frequency of values of a variable along a continuum; bell-shaped symmetrical distribution, with the highest point reflecting the average score.
culture-fair tests
intelligence tests that are intended to be culturally unbiased
gifted
highly intelligent; defined as having an IQ score of 130 or above
emotional intelligence
the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions
Heriability
the degree to which a characteristic is related to inherited genetic factors
creativity
In problem solving, the ability to construct valuable results in innovative ways; the ability to generate original ideas.
divergent thinking
ability to think "outside the box" to arrive at novel solutions to a problem
convergent thinking
conventional thinking directed toward a single correct solution
Note
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