Chapter 16: Cognitive development in adolescence

Question 1

ambiguous figure

Answer 1

figure that can be percieved in 2/ more different ways

Question 2

selective attention

Answer 2

ability to allocate attentional resources and to focus on specific topics

Question 3

speed of processing

Answer 3

time it takes for the brain to either recieve/ output information
speed with which a mental calculation can be carried out

Question 4

encoding switch hypothesis

Answer 4

different information about faces is represented in memory by children at different ages; it is suggested that young children rely on information about individual features in recognising faces, whereas older children and adults use information about the configuration of the features

Question 5

featural processing

Answer 5

tendency to process the separate features of the face, as opposed to percieving the relationship between the parts

Question 6

configural processing

Answer 6

processing that pays particular attention to the overall spatial layout of individual features

Question 7

crystallised intelligence

Answer 7

store of information, skills and strategies acquired through education and prior experience

Question 8

deductive reasoning

Answer 8

outcome of a specific example is calculated from a general principle, that is, deductive reasoning involves drawing specific conclusions from general premises

Question 9

inductive reasoning

Answer 9

creating a general principle/ conclusion from specific examples, that is, drawing a general conclusion from specific premises

Question 10

syllogism

Answer 10

comprises two statements and a conclusion that is derived from these previous statements

Question 11

analogical reasoning

Answer 11

resolving a problem by comparing it to a similar problem that has been solved previously

Question 12

second-order analogy

Answer 12

analogy that requires the use of crystallised intelligence; in order to make the connections, one must be able to derive a relationship that is not inherent within the analogy

Question 13

interpropositional thinking

Answer 13

where the individual is able to relate one or more parts to arrive at a solution to a problem

Question 14

intrapropositional thinking

Answer 14

thought of the child in Piaget’s concrete operations stage of development, which includes concrete content rather than abstract symbols

Question 15

hypothetico-deductive reasoning

Answer 15

ability to develop theories in an attemt to explain certain phenomena, generate hypotheses based on these theories, and systematically devise tests to confirm or refute these hypotheses

Question 16

combinatory thought

Answer 16

taking more than one factor into consideration

Question 17

domain-specific

Answer 17

knowledge that can only be applied to specific situations that fall within the same domain

Question 18

intuitive scientists

Answer 18

idea that we are all capable of constructing commonsense theories to explain how the world works, and are able to conduct experiments to test them