Chapter 7 - Cognition Flashcards
cognition
mental activity associated with obtaining converting and using knowledge
thinking
a specific type of cognition that uses information and transforms it to make decisions and reach solutions and form beliefs
concepts
mental representations of categories of objects situations ideas that belong together based on their central features 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 everyday life
prototypes
the ideal or most representative example of a natural concept helps us categorize or identify specific members of a concept
problem solving
the variety of approaches that can be used to achieve a goal
trial and error
finding a solution to a problem through attempts eliminating those that do not work
algorithms
an approach to problem solving using a formula or set of rules that if followed ensures a solution
heuristics
problem solving approaches that incorporate a rule of thumb or broad application of a strategy
means ends analysis
breaking up the solution to reaching the goal state into steps and conquering them one by one until the goal state is reached
insight
an understanding or solution that occurs in a sudden stroke of clarity
functional fixedness
a barrier to problem solving that occurs when familiar objects can only be imagined to function in their normal usual way
decision making
cognitive process of choosing from alternatives that might be used to reach a goal
availability heuristic
a decision making strategy that predicts the likelihood of something happening based on how easily a similar type of event from the past can be recalled
representativeness heuristic
a decision making strategy that evaluates the degree to which the primary characteristics of a person or situation are similar to our prototype of that type of person or situation
confirmation bias
the tendency to look for evidence that upholds our beliefs and to overlook evidence that runs counter to them
framing effect
occurs when the wording of questions or the context of a problem influences the outcome of a decision
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
syntax
the collection of rules concerning where to place words or phrases
grammar
the rules associated with word and sentence structure
semantics
the rules used to bring meaning to words and sentences
pragmatics
the social rules that help to organize language
intelligence
the innate ability to solve problems adapt to the environment and learn form experiences
general intelligence
a singular underlying aptitude or intellectual competence that drives abilities in many areas including verbal spatial and reasoning
triarchic theory of intelligence
sternbergs theory suggesting that humans have varying degrees of analytical creative and practical abilities
aptitude
an individuals potential for learning
achievement
acquired knowledge or what has been learned
mental age
a score representing the mental abilities of an individual in relation to others of a similar chronological age
intelligence quotient
a score from an intelligence assessment originally based on mental age divided by chronological age multiplied by 100
validity
the degree to which an assessment measures what it intends to measure
reliability
the ability of an assessment 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 intelligence tests
assessments designed to minimize cultural bias
gifted
highly intelligent defined as having an IQ score of 130 or above
emotional intelligence
the capacity to perceive understand regulate and use emotions to adapt to social situations
heritability
the degree to which hereditary factors are responsible for a particular characteristic observed within a population the proportion of variation in characteristic attributed to genetic factors
creativity
in problem solving the ability to construct valuable results in innovative ways the ability to generate original ideas
divergent thinking
the ability to devise many solutions to a problem a component of creativity
convergent thinking
a conventional approach to problem solving that focuses on finding a single best solution to a problem by using previous experience and knowledge
