Chapter 7 - Thinking and Intelligence Flashcards
cognition
- is thinking
- encompasses the processes associated with perception, knowledge, problem solving, judgment, language, and memory.
- ex. planning out your day
cognitive psychology
the field of psychology dedicated to examining how and why people think
concepts
- big ideas that are generated by observing details, categorizing, combining these details into cognitive structures
- used to see relationships/organize information
prototype
- the best example or representation of a concept
- ex. golden retriever being the first thing you think of with dogs
natural concepts
- created “naturally” through your experiences and can be developed from either direct or indirect experiences
- ex. knowing snow from seeing it
artificial concept
- a concept that is defined by a specific set of characteristics
- ex. triangles have three sides
- often build off one another, used in complex thinking
schema
- a mental construct consisting of a cluster or collection of related concept
- a method of organizing information that allows the brain to work efficiently
role schema
- makes assumptions about how individuals in certain roles will behave
- can make you assume wrong thing
- ex. military people are strict
event schema/cognitive script
- a set of behaviors that can feel like a routine
- ex. how you behave in an elevator
language
- a communication system that involves organizing words and systematic rules to communicate from one individual to another
- not the only way to communicate (posture, tone, etc.)
lexicon
the words/vocabulary of a given language
grammar
the set of rules that are used to convey meaning through the use of the lexicon
phoneme
- a basic sound unit of a given language
- different languages have different sets of phonemes
- ex. “ah” vs. “eh”
morphemes
- the smallest units of language that convey some type of meaning (made up of phoneme
- ex. “I” is a morphemes and phoneme
semantics
the process by which we derive meaning from morphemes and words
syntax
the way words are organized into sentences
overgeneralization
- a grammar rule is being applied to the exceptions to the rules of a language
- the rules of the language are understood, even if the exceptions to the rules are still being learned
problem-solving strategy
a plan of action used to find a solution
trial and error
- you would continue to try different solutions until you solved your problem
- not most efficient but commonly used
algorithm
- a problem-solving formula that provides you with step-by-step instructions used to get the same results every time they’re used
heuristic
-a general problem-solving framework
- mental shortcuts that are used to solve problems
- saves time, but not always best method