Chapter 9 - Language and Intelligence Flashcards
What is cognition?
mental processes such as perception, language, judgement, memory
Cognitive Psychology
the study of how people think
What are concepts?
groupings or categories (ex linguistic, images, ideas) informed by semantic memory
-different files in a filing cabinet
What are prototypes?
the best representation of a concept
ex. if your first pet was a golden retriever, you’ll likely think of that breed when you hear “dog”
Natural Concept
created “naturally” through direct or indirect experience or knowledge
Artificial Concept
have specific characteristics
ex. traits of geometric shapes, mathematical formulae
Schema (pl. schemata)
mental construct consisting of a cluster or collection of related concepts; a method of organizing information that allows the the brain to work more efficiently
Role Schema
makes assumptions about how individuals in certain roles will behave
Event Schema (cognitive script)
set of behaviors that can feel like a routine or habitual
What is language?
set of words or symbols used to communicate
What are some functions of language?
convey thoughts of one person to others (theory of mind), supports creative and progressive social interaction, facilitates thinking/problem solving/decision making
Phonology
the study of how sounds are put together to form parts of speech
Semantics
the study of the meaning of words/phrases in a language
Syntax
the system or grammatical rules used to combine words in particular orders
Pragmatics
the addition of context to speech, practical aspects (timing, emphasis, body language)
Phonemes
sounds of a language
Morphemes
smallest unit of meaning in a language
Lexical Meaning
dictionary definiton, can change over time
Metaphorical Meaning
context in which a word is used can alter its meaning
Non-verbal Communication
changes in body language can change the connotation of speech; similar to but not the same as gesturing
Language Production
generate/express ideas through words or gestures
Language Comprehension
the ability to understand spoken/written/signed language
Generativity
speakers of a language can create sentences to describe ideas they have never been exposed to
Nurture (Language Theories)
the theory that language is learned via operant conditioning
-doesn’t explain sentences that wouldn’t be reinforced (i hate you), why language learning ability diminishes after childhood
Nature (Language Theories)
the theory that the ease of which children learn language suggests that we are genetically programmed to learn a language
Language Acquisition Device
the innate universal ability to develop a language
explains: universal errors made by children, phoneme differentiation, ease of learning a language as a child, the generative nature of speech
Nature and Nurture (Interactionist Perspective)
states that both theories are important
Child-directed Speech
simple, high pitched, slow, emotional, speech used by adults when speaking to children; may help babies learn words by keeping them interested
Mental Imagery
internal visual representations of stored visual memories
Linguistic Relativism
language and its structures influence and limit thought
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
argues that language determines thought
“the more words we have available to us relating to an object or concept, the more detailed and complex our thoughts about them can be”
Problem Solving Strategy
a plan of action used to find a solution
Insight
sudden realization of a solution to a novel problem
Trial and Error
Haphazard approach of systemic reasoning; not efficient
Algorithms
Exhaustive step-by-step procedure that guarantees a solution; time consuming; used by computers
Heuristics
shortcut thinking strategy/”rule of thumb”; does not guarantee a correct answer
Working Backwards (heuristic)
start with a solution and work backwards through the problem
Forming Subgoals (heuristic)
current position is compared with the desired goal and a series of steps are formulated to close the gap; divide a larger problem into smaller ones and accomplish a series of sub-goals
Analogy (heuristic)
apply a solution used for a past problem to a current problem that shares similar features
Mental Set
the tendency to approach a new problem with thinking strategies that worked in the past
Functional Fixedness
failure to use familiar objects in novel ways; only seeing an object with its original purpose
Anchoring Bias
focusing on one piece of information
Confirmation Bias
Searching for information that confirms our expectations/disregarding info that does not
Hindsight Bias
afterwards, feeling as if the outcome was predictable
Representative Heuristic
judging what category a thing or person belongs to based on how they represent/match our concept of that category; stereotyping
Availability Heuristic
estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory
Inductive Reasoning
drawing broad conclusions from specific observations
Deductive Reasoning
using broad conclusions to see if specific observations can be made
What is Intelligence?
The ability to learn and solve problems to meet the demands of the environment effectively; whatever attributes enable success in an environment/culture
S Factor (Spearman’s Theory)
specific factor tied to a specific area of functioning
G Factor (Spearman’s Theory)
general factor relating to all clusters
Crystallized Intelligence
acquisition and retrieval of knowledge (Cattell’s theory)
Fluid Intelligence
ability to see complex relationships and solve problems (Cattell’s theory)
Practical Intelligence (Sternberg’s Triarchic theory)
street smarts, past experiences, helps adapt to new environments, separate from traditional IQ
Analytical Intelligence (Sternberg’s Triarchic theory)
most related to mental abilities tested in IQ tests, ability to mentally manage info, analyze/evaluate/judge/compare/compare
Creative Intelligence (Sternberg’s Triarchic theory)
intuitive/imaginative problem solving strategies, producing art
Howard Gardner’s Theory
multiple intelligences theory; no single type of intelligence but many from different parts of the brain
Gardner’s 8 Types of Intelligence
Linguistic, Logical-mathematical, Musical, Spatial, Bodily-kinesthetic, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Naturalistic
What is Emotional Intelligence?
the ability to perceive, express, assimilate, and regulate emotion; possess empathy and emotional control
4 Components of Emotional Intelligence
Perceiving, Understanding, Managing, and Using emotions
Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) Theory
one of the most comprehensive theories; abilities are related and arranged in a hierarchy with general abilities at the top, broad abilities in the middle, and narrow (specific) abilities at the bottom
Cultural Intelligence
definition of intelligence varies; the expression of intelligence is tied to the survival needs of a culture
Creativity
the ability to produce novel and valuable ideas; intelligence may be necessary but is not sufficient for creativity
Intrinsic Motivation
driven by interest, satisfaction, or challenge
Imagination
an ability and willingness to examine a problem in new ways
Game Personality
tolerance of risk, ambiguity, or initial failure
Creative Environment
encouraging innovation, is free from criticism, creative role models, sufficient resources
Francis Galton (1822-1211)
thought intelligence was inherited, coined the term “nature vs nurture,” started the eugenics movement
Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon believed that…
intelligence is the ability to demonstrate memory, judgement, reasoning, and social comprehension; appreciated that low intelligence could reflect poor environments not low potential
How is IQ calculated
mental age divided by chronological age times 100
-score of 100 is average for your age
Standardization
administration, scoring, and interpretation is consistent
Norming
testing a large population so scores can be compared across groups
What did David Wechsler do?
recognized two problems with Stanford-Binet approach: 1. distinction between mental & chronological age becomes less informative when testing adults 2. need for greater fairness when testing people who dont speak english
What is the WAIS?
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, developed in 1939 by David Wechsler; includes verbal & non verbal components; overall score (IQ) based on four scales: verbal comprehension, working memory, perceptual reasoning, processing speed
Flynn effect
the rise in the average IQ scores over time throughout the world
The Bell Curve
graphed IQ scores create a bell curve called normal distribution
Representative sample
a subset of the population that accurately represents the general population
Standard Deviation
how data are dispersed
Mean/Median/Mode
measures of central tendency; average/middle/most often respectively
Intellectual Disability (IQ Level)
IQ below 70
Gifted (IQ Level)
IQ above 130
Down Syndrome (trisomy 21)
3 21st chromosomes; fewer than 1 in 1000 live births; rate increases when mother is over 35yro
Intellectual Disability (Measures of Intelligence)
general intellectual functioning below normal; poor adaptive behaviour; difficulty with learning, attention, short term memory, planning
Gifted (Measures of Intelligence)
natural ability/talent/intelligence; in top 1-2% and usually evident at a young age; may have deficits in social and emotional intelligence
Twin Studies
Higher correlation between identical twins IQ than fraternal twins
Adoption Studies
IQ of adopted child is more similar to biological parents than adopted parents
Heritability
the overall extent to which differences among people are attributed to genes
Heritability Coefficient
a correlation coefficient is used to indicate the contribution of heredity to some characteristic; ranges from 0.00 to +1.00; heritability coefficient for intelligence is 0.50
Range of Reaction
people respond to the environment in different/unique ways depending on their genetic makeup
Item Bias
some test items are culturally biased
Stereotype or Vulnerability Threat
some evidence suggests that expectation of performance based based on a perceived stereotype can influence test scores
Aphasia
impaired use of language; different types depending on the area damaged
Broca’s Area
located in the frontal lobe; important for speech production
Broca’s Aphasia
deficiencies in speech production; difficulty forming words; inability to speak with proper grammar (agrammatism); words remain in tact (syntax issue); results from damage to Broca’s area in left frontal lobe (near motor cortex)
Wernicke’s Area
located in the temporal lobe; important for language comprehension
Wernicke’s Aphasia
profound deficits in language comprehension and generating meaningful speech; semantic issues (not syntax); can produce fluent speech but tends to be meaningless; results from damage to Wernicke’s area in left temporal lobe (near auditory cortex)
Amygdala
helps regulate emotions
Right Hemisphere
understanding figurative speech; damage results in literal interpretations
