Chapter 9

Question 1

human intelligence

Answer 1

the ability to think, learn form experience, to solve problems, and to adapt to new situations

Question 2

IQ

Answer 2

intelligence quotient. measure of intelligence that is adjusted for age.
IQ = mental age / chronological age * 100

Question 3

language

Answer 3

a system of communication that uses symbols in a regular way to create meaning. the “crown jewel of cognition”

Question 4

general intelligence factor

Answer 4

the construct that the different abilities and skills measured on intelligence tests have in common

Question 5

Sanford-binet intelligence test

Answer 5

measure of g made of up wide variety of tasks including vocabulary, memory for pictures, naming of familiar objects, repeating sentences, foolingg commands

Question 6

specific intelligence

Answer 6

a measure of specific skills in narrow domains

Question 7

fluid intelligence

Answer 7

refers to the capacity to learn new ways of solving problems and performing activities

Question 8

primary mental abilities

Answer 8

seven clusters of intelligence: word fluency, verbal comprehension, spatial ability, perceptual speed, numerical ability, inductive reasoning, memory

Question 9

triarchic (three-part) theory of intelligence

Answer 9

people may display more or less analytical intelligence, creative intelligence, and practical intelligence

Question 10

five components that are likely to be important for creativity

Answer 10

expertise, imaginative thinking, risk taking, intrinsic interests, working in a creative environment

Question 11

expertise

Answer 11

creative people have studied and know a lot about the topic that they are studying

Question 12

imaginative thinking

Answer 12

create people often view a problem in a visual way, allowing them to see it from a new and different point of view

Question 13

risk taking

Answer 13

creative people are willing to take on new but potentially risky approaches

Question 14

intrinsic interest

Answer 14

creative people tend to work on projects because they love doing them, not because they are paid for them. In fact, research has found that people who are paid to be creative are often less creative than those who are not

Question 15

working in a creative environment

Answer 15

creativity is in part a social phenomenon. most creative people are supported, aided, and challenged by other people working on similar projects.

Question 16

practical intelligence

Answer 16

a type of street smarts or common sense, learned from life experiences. not book learning.

Question 17

autistic savants

Answer 17

people who score low on overall intelligence tests overall but may have exceptional skills in a given domain such as math, music, art, or in being able to recite statistics.

Question 18

Gardner’s 8 specific intelligence

Answer 18

linguistic, logico-mathematical, spatial, musical, kinesthetic, interpersonal, interpersonal, naturalistic

Question 19

standardization of intelligence test

Answer 19

giving it to a large number of people at different ages and computing the average score on the test at each age level

Question 20

flynn effect

Answer 20

observation that scores on intelligence tests worldwide have increased substantially over the past decades

Question 21

mental age

Answer 21

the age at which a person is performing intellectually

Question 22

wechsler adult intelligence scale

Answer 22

the most widely used intelligence test for adults

Question 23

aptitude tests

Answer 23

measure one’s ability to perform a given task, for instance, to do well in college or in postgrad training.

Question 24

personell selection

Answer 24

the use of structured tests to select people are likely to perform well at given jobs

Question 25

first step of making personnel selection

Answer 25

job analysis, in which psychologists determine what knowledge, skills, abilities, and personal characteristics are required for a given job.

Question 26

normal distribution (bell curve)

Answer 26

the pattern of scores usually observed in variable that clusters around the average

Question 27

convergent thinking

Answer 27

thinking that is directed toward finding the correct answer to a given problem

Question 28

divergent thinking

Answer 28

the ability to generate many different ideas for or solutions to a similar problem

Question 29

mental retardation

Answer 29

a generalized disorder ascribed to people who have an IQ below 70, who have experienced deficits since childhood, and who have trouble with basic life skills, such as dressing and feeding oneself and communicating with others

Question 30

Down syndrome

Answer 30

a chromosonal disorder leading to a mental retardation caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosone

Question 31

eugenics

Answer 31

the proposal that one could improve the human species by encouraging or permitting reproduction of only those people

Question 32

phonemes

Answer 32

elementary sounds of our language. the smallest unit of sound that makes a meaningful difference in a language

Question 33

morphemes

Answer 33

smallest unit of meaning in a language. a string of one or more phonemes that makes up the smallest units of meaning in a language

Question 34

syntax

Answer 34

the set of grammatical rules that control how words are put together

Question 35

contextual information

Answer 35

the elements of communication that are not part of the content of language but that help us understanding its meaning. the information surrounding language

Question 36

categorial perception of speech sounds

Answer 36

speakers of different language are able to hear the difference only between some phonemes but not others

Question 37

broca’s area

Answer 37

an area in front of the left hemisphere near the motor cortex, responsible for language production

Question 38

wernicke’s area

Answer 38

an area of the brain next to the auditory cortex. responsible for language comprehension

Question 39

aphasia

Answer 39

a condition in which functions are severely impaired. damage to both broca’s and wernicke’s area

Question 40

babbling

Answer 40

intentional vocalizations that lack specific meaning

Question 41

overextensions

Answer 41

when a category word is extended beyond its real meaning by small children. for example daddy to mean

Question 42

generativity

Answer 42

the fact that speakers of a language can compose sentences to represent new ideas that they have never been exposed to, as opposed to just being imitative. i.e. the word “swimmed”

Question 43

universal grammar

Answer 43

with language acquisition device in brain, underlies all languages in the world in Noam Chomsky’s idea. not really borne out.

Question 44

deep structure of idea

Answer 44

Chomsky’s idea, how the idea is represented in the fundamental universal grammar that is common to all languages

Question 45

surface structure of the idea

Answer 45

how an idea is expressed in any one language

Question 46

nonverbal behaviors

Answer 46

ways of human communication besides speech, such as eye contact, touch, hand signs, interpersonal distance. animals have these but without language

Question 47

linguistic relativity

Answer 47

the idea that language and its structures influence and limit human thought. now downplayed