Problem Solving and Intelligence

Intelligence

The cognitive ability of an organism to learn from experience, remember and recall important information and cope with the demands of daily living.

Deductive Reasoning

When you go from general and broad ideas/theories to specific facts.

*Used for generating hypotheses to go from theories to facts

Inductive Reasoning

A method of reasoning that involves going from specific facts to a general idea

*Used for disproving theories, going from facts to general or broader ideas

Functional Fixedness

The inability to see different uses for common objects aside from their intended use

What is reliability in psychological testing?

The consistency or stability of test results over time — if repeated, the test should produce similar scores.

What is validity in psychological testing?

The extent to which a test actually measures what it claims to measure.

What is a schema?

A mental framework or concept that helps organize and interpret information.

What is assimilation

Fitting new information into existing schemas without changing them.

What is accommodation

Modifying or creating new schemas when new information doesn’t fit existing ones.

What is a heuristic?

A mental shortcut or rule of thumb that allows quick judgments but can lead to biases or errors.

What is confirmation bias?

The tendency to seek or interpret information that confirms your existing beliefs.

What is the representativeness heuristic?

Judging how likely something is based on how well it matches a prototype or stereotype.

What is the availability heuristic?

Estimating the likelihood of an event based on how easily examples come to mind.

What are Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development (in order)?

1) Sensorimotor
2) Preoperational
3) Concrete Operational
4) Formal Operational

What happens in Piaget’s Sensorimotor stage (0–2 years)?

Infants learn about the world through senses and actions, and develop object permanence, understanding that objects exist even when unseen.

What happens in Piaget’s Preoperational stage (2–7 years)?

Children begin using language and symbols, but they lack seriation, reversible relationships, conservation, however they are egocentric. 

What happens in Piaget’s Concrete Operational Stage (7–11 years)?

Children develop logical thinking about concrete events. And they develop skills for all seriation, reversible relationships, conservation and they become less egocentric

What happens in Piaget’s Formal Operational Stage (12+ years)?

Adolescents and adults develop abstract thinking and reasoning, so they can now think and understand things that do not physically exist, like idea of freedom, algebra

What is object permanence?

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or touched.
(Develops during the Sensorimotor stage.)

What is egocentrism?

The inability to see a situation from another person’s point of view.
(Common in the Preoperational stage.)

What is conservation?

The understanding that quantity remains the same even when appearance changes (e.g., water poured into a taller glass).
(Develops in the Concrete Operational stage.)

What are reversible relationships?

The understanding that relationships or actions can be reversed (e.g., 3 + 4 = 7 and 7 – 4 = 3).
(Concrete Operational stage.)

What is seriation?

The ability to arrange objects in an order according to size, number, or other quantitative property.
(Concrete Operational stage.)

What is abstract thinking?

The ability to think about concepts, ideas, and principles that are not tied to concrete objects or direct experiences (e.g., justice, freedom, hypothetical scenarios).