Chapter 8 Flashcards
Thinking and Intelligence
Mental representations
includes ideas, theories, understanding of objects and events in our lives
Thinking is the mental manipulation of these representations- allows us to take info, consider it, set goals, etc.
Analogical representations
Corresponds to images and have some physical characteristics of actual objects
Symbolic Representations
Abstract, usually consist of words or ideas. Do not have relationships to physical qualities of objects
Schemas
Mental structures- collections of ideas, prior knowledge, and experiences- that help organize info and guide thought and behavior
Related to your mental organization of analogical and symbolic representations
Concepts
mental representations used to categorize related objects, events, or ideas based on shared features
efficient way to organize info in your mind
Prototype Model
concepts are based on the “most typical” member of a category, called a prototype
we decide whether something belongs in the category by comparing it to prototype
Exemplar Model
states that there is no single best representation of a concept- you form fuzzy representation based on your experiences
Use Schemas in 3 ways:
1) common situations have consistent rules
2) people have specific roles within situational contexts
3) allow you to quickly process info to make generalizations about people, objects, events (called stereotypes)
Reasoning
determine if a conclusion is valid- you use info that you believe is true to make a judgement
informal and formal reasoning
Confirmation bias
people show a strong tendency to pay greater attention to evidence that supports their beliefs or downplay evidence that does not
Illusory Correlations
the misperception that two chance events that happen at the same time are somehow related
can lead to superstitious behavior
correlation does not equal causation
Hindsight bias
the tendency to believe you could have predicted something after you learn the outcome
Decision making
form of thinking in which you select among choices
usually, you identify important criteria and determine how well each alternative satisfies these criteria
Algorithm
set of procedures to follow when thinking and making a decision- when followed correctly, it will always yield correct result
Heuristic
shortcut used to reduce amount of thinking needed to make decision - often occurs unconsciously
require minimal cognitive resources, and is adaptive and allows for quick decisions
Availability Heuristic
mental shortcut used to assess how common or probable something is based on how quickly info comes to mind
tend to rely on info that is easy to retrieve from memory
also use this to make decisions based on perception of risks
Representativeness Heuristic
mental shortcut used to place people or objects in a category if they are similar to the prototype for the category
can lead to faulty reasoning if you fail to take other info into account
Affective Heuristic
making decisions or judgments based on current emotions
people tend to make decisions based on possibly inaccurate assumptions about their future emotions
Framing Effect
the way info is presented can alter how you perceive it and make decisions
Problem solving
Use knowledge to determine how to move from your current state to the goal state, must use good strategies to overcome obstacles
subgoals, analogy, insight
Overcome Obstacles
Restructure- mentally representing the problem in a novel way, which reveals a solution that was not visible under old problem structure
mental sets- established ways of thinking
functional fixedness- mental representations about the typical functions of particular objects
Intelligence
The ability to use knowledge to reason, make decisions, make sense of evens, solve problems, understand complex ideas, learn quickly, and adapt to environmental changes
Charles Spearman
Viewed general intelligence as the single common factor that contributes to performance on any intellectual task
his view- tends to yield higher IQ scores on intelligence tests
Fluid intelligence
involves information processing, especially in novel or complex circumstances
involved in reasoning, thinking quickly and flexibly
analogous to short-term memory
Crystallized Intelligence
involves knowledge gained from experience, like vocabulary, spelling, cultural info
analogous to long-term memory
Divergent thinking
ability to generate multiple ideas or solutions to a problem
Convergent thinking
ability to generate the single best or most correct solution to a problem or question
Multiple Intelligences
several different types of intellectual talents that are independent of another
ex) musical, math/logical, intrapersonal, interpersonal, linguistic, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic
Triarchic theory
people have 3 types of intelligence: analytical, practical, creative
