Ch 8: Thinking, Reasoning, and Language

Question 1

thinking

Answer 1

mental activity or processing information

Question 2

heuristics

Answer 2

• mental “shortcuts”
• rules of thumb
• tools for making estimates

Question 3

cognitive biases

Answer 3

default ways of thinking that make us systematically wrong

Question 4

stereotyping

Answer 4

overgeneralizing our experiences with particular group members

Question 5

availability heuristic

Answer 5

estimate likelihood based on how easily examples come to mind

Question 6

decision making

Answer 6

the process of choosing between alternatives
- higher order cognition

Question 7

cognitive economy

Answer 7

unimportant decisions made implicitly/unconsciously
- more time and effort to make important decisions

Question 8

framing

Answer 8

question phrasing affects decisions

Question 9

problem solving

Answer 9

generating a cognitive strategy to accomplish a goal
- often use algorithms

Question 10

mental sets

Answer 10

after finding one solutions, it’s harder to set alternatives
- thinking becomes “boxed in”

Question 11

functional fixedness

Answer 11

once we learn an object’s purpose, it is harder for us to use it in other ways

Question 12

language

Answer 12

a combination of arbitrary symbols in rule-based ways to create meaning

Question 13

phonemes

Answer 13

sounds we can vocally produce
- perceptually distinct

Question 14

morphemes

Answer 14

smallest units with meaning in a language
- often words
- can be modifiers (“ish”, “ly”)

Question 15

syntax

Answer 15

rules for constructing sentences
- word order
- sentence structure
- morphological markers

Question 16

extralinguistic information

Answer 16

facial expressions, tone of voice, gestures, posture, setting
- used to interpret ambiguous info

Question 17

learning language

Answer 17

children recognize their native language before they are born

Question 18

first year (babbling)

Answer 18

any intentional vocal sound that lacks meaning

Question 19

one word stage (< 2 yrs old)

Answer 19

comprehend basic syntax
- tend to over- and under-extend word meanings

Question 20

language deprivation

Answer 20

occurs due to a chronic lack of full access to a natural language during the critical period of language acquisition

Question 21

sign language

Answer 21

relies on visual communication

Question 22

bilingualism

Answer 22

ability to speak and comprehend fluently in more than one language

Question 23

nativist account (lang. acquisition)

Answer 23

we are born with some language knowledge

Question 24

social pragmatic account (lang. acquisition)

Answer 24

social environment structures lang. learning
- simple word/action association vs. recognizing communicative goals

Question 25

general cognitive processing account (lang. acquisition)

Answer 25

we learn lang. the same way we learn anything else

Question 26

linguistic determinism

Answer 26

the concept that language and its structures limit and determine human knowledge or thought

Question 27

linguistic relativity

Answer 27

the proposal that the particular language we speak influences the way we think about reality

Question 28

reading

Answer 28

highly automatic process

Question 29

speed reading

Answer 29

• avg. student can read 200-300 wpm
• > 400 wpm and comprehension drops