Chapter 8

Question 1

a mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people

Answer 1

concept

Question 2

a mental image or best example of a catergory.

Answer 2

prototype

Question 3

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

Answer 3

algorithm

Question 4

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

Answer 4

heuristic

Question 5

a sudden realization of the solution to a problem; contrasts with strategy-based solutions

Answer 5

insight

Question 6

a tendency to search from information that supports your preconceptions and to ignore or distort evidence that contradicts them

Answer 6

confirmation bias

Question 7

in cognition, the inability to see a problem from a new perspective; an obstacle to problem solving

Answer 7

functional fixedness

Question 8

an effortless, immediate, automatic feeling or thought, as contrasted with explicit conscious reasoning

Answer 8

intuition

Question 9

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

Answer 9

representativeness heuristic

Question 10

judging the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory; if an event comes readily to mind we assume it must be common

Answer 10

availability heuristic

Question 11

clinging to beliefs even after evidence has proven them wrong

Answer 11

belief perseverance

Question 12

the way an issues is posed; can significantly affect decisions and judgments

Answer 12

framing

Question 13

framing choices in a way that encourages people to make decisions that support their personal well-being

Answer 13

nudge

Question 14

the ability to produce new and valuable ideas

Answer 14

creativity

Question 15

narrowing the available solutions to determine the single best solution to a problem

Answer 15

convergent thinking

Question 16

expanding the number of possible solutions to a problem; creative thinking that branches out in different directions

Answer 16

divergent thinking

Question 17

our spoken, written, or signed words, and the ways we combine them to communicate meaning

Answer 17

language

Question 18

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

Answer 18

babbling stage

Question 19

this stage in speech development, from about 1 to 2, during which a child speaks mostly in single words

Answer 19

one-word stage

Question 20

the stage in speech development, beginning around age 2, during which a child speaks mostly in two-word statements

Answer 20

two-word stage

Question 21

the early speech stage in which a child speaks in compressed sentences, like a telegram, using mostly nouns and verbs

Answer 21

telegraphic speech

Question 22

a frontal lobe brain area, usually in the left hemisphere, that helps control language expression by directing the muscle movements involved in speech

Answer 22

Broca’s area

Question 23

a brain area, usually in the left temporal lobe, involved in language comprehension and expression

Answer 23

Wernicke’s area

Question 24

the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to knew situations

Answer 24

intelligence

Question 25

according to Spearman and others, underlies all mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on intelligence test.

Answer 25

general intelligence

Question 26

a condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill, such as in computation or drawing

Answer 26

savant syndrome

Question 27

the ability to perceive, understand, and use emotions

Answer 27

emotional intelligence

Question 28

a test designed to predict a person’s future performance; the capacity to learn

Answer 28

aptitude test

Question 29

a measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the level of performance typically associated with children of a certain chronological age.

Answer 29

mental age

Question 30

the widely used American revision of Binet’s original intelligence test

Answer 30

Stanford-Binet

Question 31

defined originally as the ration of mental age to chronological age multiplied by 100

Answer 31

intelligence quotient

Question 32

most widely used intelligence test; they contain verbal and performance subtests

Answer 32

Wechsler Adult Intelligence scale

Question 33

defining uniform testing procedures and meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested group

Answer 33

standardization

Question 34

the bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes

Answer 34

normal curve

Question 35

the extent to which a test yields consistent results, as assessed by consistency of scores on two halves of the test, or on retesting

Answer 35

reliability

Question 36

the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to

Answer 36

validity

Question 37

the success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict

Answer 37

predictive validity

Question 38

a conditioned of limit mental ability, indicated by an intelligence test score of 70 or below and difficulty adapting to the demands of life.

Answer 38

intellectual disability

Question 39

the proportion of variation among people in a group that we can attribute to genes. may vary depending on the population and the environment

Answer 39

heritability

Question 40

your accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age.

Answer 40

crystallized intelligence

Question 41

your ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease with age, especially during late adulthood

Answer 41

fluid intelligence

Question 42

a self-confirming concern that you will be judged based on negative stereotypes.

Answer 42

stereotype threat