Chapter 7: Thinking, Language, and Intelligence

Question 1

thinking

Answer 1

Brain activity in which people mentally manipulate information, including words, visual images, sounds, or other data.

Question 2

mental images

Answer 2

Representations in the mind of an object or event

Question 3

concepts

Answer 3

A mental grouping of similar objects, events, or people

Question 4

prototypes

Answer 4

Typical, highly representative examples of a concept

Question 5

algorithm

Answer 5

A rule that, if applied appropriately, guarantees a solution to a problem.

Question 6

heuristic

Answer 6

A thinking strategy that may lead us to a solution to a problem or decision, but—unlike algorithms—may sometimes lead to errors.

Question 7

means-ends analysis

Answer 7

Involves repeated tests for differences between the desired outcome and what currently exists.

Question 8

insight

Answer 8

A sudden awareness of the relationships among various elements that had previously appeared to be independent of one another

Question 9

functional fixedness

Answer 9

The tendency to think of an object only in terms of its

typical use.

Question 10

mental set

Answer 10

A framework for thinking about a problem based on our prior experience with similar problems

Question 11

confirmation bias

Answer 11

The tendency to seek out and weight more heavily
information that supports one’s initial hypothesis and to ignore contradictory information that supports alternative hypotheses or solutions

Question 12

creativity

Answer 12

The ability to generate original ideas or solve problems in novel ways.

Question 13

divergent thinking

Answer 13

Thinking that generates unusual, yet nonetheless appropriate, responses to problems or questions.

Question 14

convergent thinking

Answer 14

Thinking in which a problem is viewed as having a single answer and which produces responses that are based primarily on knowledge and logic

Question 15

cognitive psychology

Answer 15

The branch of psychology that focuses on the study of higher mental processes, including thinking, language, memory, problem solving, knowing, reasoning, judging, and decision making

Question 16

language

Answer 16

The communication of information through symbols arranged according to systematic rules

Question 17

grammar

Answer 17

The system of rules that determine how our thoughts can be expressed.

Question 18

phonology

Answer 18

The study of the smallest units of speech, called phonemes.

Question 19

phonemes

Answer 19

The smallest units of speech.

Question 20

syntax

Answer 20

Ways in which words and phrases can be combined to form sentences.

Question 21

semantics

Answer 21

The meaning of words and sentences.

Question 22

babble

Answer 22

Meaningless speech-like sounds made by children from around the age of 3 months through 1 year.

Question 23

telegraphic speech

Answer 23

Sentences in which only essential words are used.

Question 24

overgeneralization

Answer 24

The phenomenon by which children over-apply a language rule, thereby making linguistic errors.

Question 25

learning-theory approach (to language development)

Answer 25

The theory that language acquisition follows the principles of reinforcement and conditioning.

Question 26

nativist approach (to language development)

Answer 26

The theory that humans are biologically pre-wired to learn language at certain times and in particular ways.

Question 27

interactionist approach (to language development)

Answer 27

The view that language development is produced through a combination of genetically determined predispositions and environmental circumstances that help teach language.

Question 28

linguistic-relativity hypothesis

Answer 28

The hypothesis that language shapes and may determine the way people perceive and understand the world.

Question 29

intelligence

Answer 29

The capacity to understand the world, think rationally, and use resources effectively when faced with challenges.

Question 30

g or g-factor

Answer 30

The single, general factor for mental ability assumed to underlie intelligence in some early theories of intelligence

Question 31

fluid intelligence

Answer 31

Intelligence that reflects the ability to think logically, reason abstractly, and solve problems.

Question 32

crystallized intelligence

Answer 32

The accumulation of information, knowledge, and skills that people have learned through experience and education.

Question 33

theory of multiple intelligences

Answer 33

Gardner’s intelligence theory that proposes that there are eight distinct spheres of intelligence

Question 34

practical intelligence

Answer 34

According to Sternberg, intelligence related to overall success in living.

Question 35

emotional intelligence

Answer 35

The set of skills that underlie the accurate assessment,

evaluation, expression, and regulation of emotions.

Question 36

intelligence tests

Answer 36

Tests devised to quantify a person’s level of intelligence.

Question 37

mental age

Answer 37

The age for which a given level of performance is average or typical.

Question 38

intelligence quotient (IQ)

Answer 38

A score that takes into account an individual’s mental and chronological ages.

Question 39

reliability

Answer 39

The property by which tests measure consistently what they are trying to measure.

Question 40

validity

Answer 40

The property by which tests actually measure what they are supposed to measure

Question 41

norms

Answer 41

Standards of test performance that permit the comparison of one person’s score on a test with the scores of other individuals who have taken the same test.

Question 42

intellectual disability

Answer 42

A condition characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills.

Question 43

fetal alcohol syndrome

Answer 43

The most common cause of intellectual disability in newborns, occurring when the mother uses alcohol during pregnancy.

Question 44

familial intellectual disability

Answer 44

Intellectual disability in which no apparent biological defect exists but there is a history of intellectual disability in the family.

Question 45

intellectually gifted

Answer 45

The 2%–4% segment of the population who have IQ scores greater than 130

Question 46

culture-fair IQ test

Answer 46

A test trial that does not discriminate against the members of any minority group.

Question 47

heritability

Answer 47

The degree to which a characteristic is related to genetic, inherited factors.