Chapter 8 Flashcards
a mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people
concept
a mental image or best example of a catergory.
prototype
a methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees you will solve a particular problem. Contrasts with the usually speedier-but also more error-prone- use of heuristics
algorithm
a simple thinking strategy that often allows you to make judgments and solve problems efficiently; usually speedier but also more error-prone that an algorithm
heuristic
a sudden realization of the solution to a problem; contrasts with strategy-based solutions
insight
a tendency to search from information that supports your preconceptions and to ignore or distort evidence that contradicts them
confirmation bias
in cognition, the inability to see a problem from a new perspective; an obstacle to problem solving
functional fixedness
an effortless, immediate, automatic feeling or thought, as contrasted with explicit conscious reasoning
intuition
judging the likelihood of events in terms of how well they seem to represent, or match, particular prototypes; may lead us to ignore other relevant information
representativeness heuristic
judging the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory; if an event comes readily to mind we assume it must be common
availability heuristic
clinging to beliefs even after evidence has proven them wrong
belief perseverance
the way an issues is posed; can significantly affect decisions and judgments
framing
framing choices in a way that encourages people to make decisions that support their personal well-being
nudge
the ability to produce new and valuable ideas
creativity
narrowing the available solutions to determine the single best solution to a problem
convergent thinking
expanding the number of possible solutions to a problem; creative thinking that branches out in different directions
divergent thinking
our spoken, written, or signed words, and the ways we combine them to communicate meaning
language
the stage in speech development, beginning around four months, during which an infant spontaneously utter various sounds that are not all related to the household language
babbling stage
this stage in speech development, from about 1 to 2, during which a child speaks mostly in single words
one-word stage
the stage in speech development, beginning around age 2, during which a child speaks mostly in two-word statements
two-word stage
the early speech stage in which a child speaks in compressed sentences, like a telegram, using mostly nouns and verbs
telegraphic speech
a frontal lobe brain area, usually in the left hemisphere, that helps control language expression by directing the muscle movements involved in speech
Broca’s area
a brain area, usually in the left temporal lobe, involved in language comprehension and expression
Wernicke’s area
the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to knew situations
intelligence
according to Spearman and others, underlies all mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on intelligence test.
general intelligence
a condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill, such as in computation or drawing
savant syndrome
the ability to perceive, understand, and use emotions
emotional intelligence
a test designed to predict a person’s future performance; the capacity to learn
aptitude test
a measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the level of performance typically associated with children of a certain chronological age.
mental age
the widely used American revision of Binet’s original intelligence test
Stanford-Binet
defined originally as the ration of mental age to chronological age multiplied by 100
intelligence quotient
most widely used intelligence test; they contain verbal and performance subtests
Wechsler Adult Intelligence scale
defining uniform testing procedures and meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested group
standardization
the bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes
normal curve
the extent to which a test yields consistent results, as assessed by consistency of scores on two halves of the test, or on retesting
reliability
the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to
validity
the success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict
predictive validity
a conditioned of limit mental ability, indicated by an intelligence test score of 70 or below and difficulty adapting to the demands of life.
intellectual disability
the proportion of variation among people in a group that we can attribute to genes. may vary depending on the population and the environment
heritability
your accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age.
crystallized intelligence
your ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease with age, especially during late adulthood
fluid intelligence
a self-confirming concern that you will be judged based on negative stereotypes.
stereotype threat
