Cognitive: Thinking, Intelligence, and Language Ch. 7
Cognitive: Thinking, Intelligence, and Language Ch. 7
7.1 & 7.2 Thinking and Concepts
- Thinking (cognitive)- brain mental activity when a person is organizing, understanding, and communicating information to others
- System 1 thinking- making quick decisions and using cognitive short-cuts, is guided by our innate abilities and personal experiences
- System 2 thinking- relatively slow, analytical. And rule based, is dependent more on our formal educational experiences
- Concepts- mental categories representing activities, objects, qualities, or situations that share some common characteristics (ex. birds)
- Formal concepts- defined by a specific set of rules or features that are quite rigid (ex. a square)
- Natural concepts- concepts formed as a result of a strict set of rules but rather as a result of experiences with these concepts in the real world (ex. a car)
- Prototype- an example of a concept that closely matches the defining characteristics of the concept
-Kosslyn 1978
-Mental Imagery vs. Sensory Perception
Types of Concepts
- Superordinate concept- most general type of concept; ex. “animal” or “fruit”
- Basic level concept- type around which similar concepts are organized ex. Dog, cat, pear
- Subordinate- the most specific category of concept; ex. Pet dog, a pear in one’s hand
-7.2 Concepts and Prototypes
7.3 Problem-Solving
- Problem solving- occurs when a goal must be reached by thinking and behaving in certain ways
- Decision making- process of cognition that involves identifying, evaluating, and choosing among several alternatives (ex. PIN)
- Rote- learned set of rules (ex. how word problems are solved)
- Trial and error (mechanical solution)- problem solving method in which one possible solution after another is tried until a successful one is found
- Algorithms- specific step-by-step procedures for solving certain types of problems; guarantees solution (ex. Organization of library shelves, Rubik’s Cube, PIN)
- Heuristic- educated guess based on prior experiences; helps narrow down possible solutions (aka “rule of thumb”)
- Representativeness heuristic- assumption that any object (or person) sharing characteristics with the members of a particular category is also a member of that category
-Heuristics will not always lead to the correct solution; what you gain in speed, you lose in accuracy
- Availability heuristic- can have undesired outcomes; estimating the frequency or likelihood of an event based on how easy it is to recall relevant information from memory or how easy it is for us to think of related examples
- Working backward- a useful heuristic that works most of the time
-7.3 Prob Solving and Decision Making Strategies
Problem-Solving Barriers
- Functional fixedness- thinking about obj in terms of only their typical functions
- Mental set- persisting in using prob-solving patterns that have worked in the past
-7.3 The String Problem
Creativity
- Creativity- the ability to produce solutions to problems that are unusual, inventive, novel, and appropriate
- Convergent thinking- a problem is seen as having only one answer; using previous knowledge and logic will lead to the single answer
- Divergent thinking- person starts from one point and comes up with many different ideas or possibilities based on that point (kind of creativity)
- Stimulating Divergent Thinking: brainstorming, journaling, freewriting, mind or subject mapping
Remote Associates Test (RAT)
Characteristics of Creative People
- Possess broad range of knowledge about many subjects
- Are good at using mental imagery
- Do not fear being different
- Are more open to new experiences
- Tend to have more vivid dreams and daydreams
- Value their independence
Intelligence: Basic Definition
Intelligence- the ability to…
- Learn from one’s experiences,
- Acquire knowledge, and
- Use resources effectively in adapting to new situations or solving problems
Theories of Intelligence
Spearman's Theory:
G factor- ability to reason and solve problems; ex. general intelligence
S factor- ability to excel in certain areas; ex. specific intelligence
Gardener’s Theory:
Multiple intelligences- ranging from verbal, linguistic, mathematical to intrapersonal intelligence
\n
| Verbal/linguistic | |
|---|---|
| Musical | |
| Logical/mathematical | |
| Visual/spacial | |
| InterpersonalIntrapersonal | Sensitivity & understanding motivationsUnderstanding of one’s emotions and how they guide actions |
| Naturalist | Ability to recognize patterns found in nature |
| Existentialist (a candidate intelligence) | Ability to see the “big picture” |
\n
-8.7 9 Intelligences
-7.5: Cattell-Horn-Carroll
General intelligence (g)
\n
| Acquired Knowledge | Domain-Independent General Capacities | Sensory-Motor Domain Specific Abilities | General Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Reasoning (Gq) | Fluid Reasoning (Gf) | Visual Processing (Gv) | Processing Speed (Gs) |
| Comp-Knowledge (Gc) | Short-Term Memory (Gsm) | Auditory Processing (Ga) | Reaction & Decision Speed (Gt) |
| Reading & Writing (Grw) | Long-Term Storage & Retrieval (Glr) | Olfactory Abilities (Go) | Psychomotor Speed (Gps) |
| Domain Specific Knowledge (Gkn) | Tactile Abilities (Gh) | ||
| Kinesthetic Abilities (Gk) | |||
| Psychomotor Abilities (Gp) |
70+ Narrow Abilities
Functional groupings Conceptual groupings
\n
Neuroscience Theories
-Parieto-Frontal Integration Theory (P-FIT)
Working memory has been tied to fluid intelligence, the ability to adapt and deal with new problems or challenges the first time you encounter them without having to depend on knowledge you already possess
\n
IQ Tests
- Intelligence quotient (IQ)- number representing a measure of intelligence; currently a deviation IQ
- Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test, 5th Edition- yields IQs for:
- Fluid Reasoning;
- Knowledge;
- Quantitative Reasoning;
- Visual-Spacial Reasoning;
- Working Memory
-7.7 Measuring Intelligence
- Wechsler Intelligence Tests- yields Index Scaled Scores for:
- Verbal Reasoning
- Perceptual Reasoning
- Working Memory
- Processing Speed
- Full Scale IQ
-7.3 Simulated Sample Items from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-IV)
\n
| Verbal Comprehension Index | |
|---|---|
| Similarities | |
| Vocabulary | |
| Information | |
| Perceptual reasoning Index | |
| Block Design | |
| Matrix Reasoning | |
| Visual Puzzles | |
| Working Memory Index | |
| Digit Span | |
| Arithmetic | |
| Processing Speed Index | |
| Symbol Search | |
| Coding |
\n
-7.7 Raven’s Progressive Matrices (a test of abstract reasoning)
- Most likely to be free of cultural bias
Development of IQ Tests
- Standardization- process of administering the test to a large representative sample who establish norms for the test
-establishment of consistent and standard methods of test administration; test would be taken under the same conditions
- Reliability- tendency of a test to produce the same scores; measure of consistency
- Validity- degree to which a test measures what it’s supposed to measure
- Ecological Validity- the extent to which an obtained score accurately reflects the intended skill or outcome in real-life situations
- Deviation IQ Scores- type of intelligence measure that assumes that IQ is normally distributed around a mean of 100, standard deviation of 15
- Deviation scores are now used because of the need to measure the IQ of people of varying ages
- Compare to previous ratio IQ
- Mental age/chronological age * 100
- IQs would be distorted in adulthood
8.4 Deviation Scores (Norms)
\n
\n