Chapter 9: Thinking, Language, and Intelligence Flashcards
cognition
Mentally processing information (images, concepts, etc.); thinking
Cognitive Psychology
the study of human information processing
Basic units of thoughts
images, concepts and language.
Images
picture-like mental representations
Most of us use images to
think, remember and solve problems.
• To make a decision, to improve a skill, to aid
memory.
Created Image
Image that has been assembled or invented rather than remembered
Kinesthetic Images
Created from produced, remembered, or imagined muscular sensations
Concept
an idea that represents a class of objects or events
Concept Formation
Process of classifying world into meaningful categories
Conceptual Rule
Guidelines for deciding whether objects or events belong to concept class
Prototypes
Ideal model used as an example of a good concept
Denotative Meaning
Exact definition of a word or concept
Connotative Meaning
Emotional or personal meaning of a concept
Language
Words or symbols, and rules for combining them, that are used for thinking and communication
Semantics
Study of meanings in language
Intuition
Quick, impulsive thought that does not make use of formal reasoning
heuristics
mental shortcuts; “rule of thumb” that reduces the number of alternatives that people must consider
Confirmation bias
A tendency to search for information that confirms a personal bias; we see what we want (or expect) to see
Representativeness Heuristic
Classifying something as belonging to a certain category to the extent that it is similar to a typical case from that category
Base-Rate Fallacy
Failure to consider probability of given event in total population
Availability Heuristic
Basing an estimate on
the ease with which examples from that category come to mind; We tend to overestimate the frequency of vivid,
impactful, newsworthy events.
Framing
The way a problem is stated or the way it is structured.
People take more risks on decisions framed
in a negative manner (to recover losses or prevent injuries), than when the same decision is positively framed (to achieve gains).
Intelligence
ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use our knowledge to adapt to new situations.
Assessing Intelligence
Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, Fifth Edition (SB5)
Widely used individual intelligence test
SB5: Cognitive Factors Measured
Fluid reasoning Knowledge Quantitative reasoning Visual-spatial processing Working memory
Fluid reasoning
tests reasoning ability
Knowledge
assesses the person’s knowledge about a wide range of topics
Quantitative reasoning
measure a person’s ability to solve problems involving numbers
Visual-spatial processing
people who have visual-spatial skills are good at putting picture puzzles together and copying geometric shapes
Working memory
measures the ability to use short-term memory
David Wechsler
developed
the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)
an intelligence test for school-aged
children
WAIS measures
overall intelligence and 11 other aspects related to intelligence
For a psychological test to be acceptable it must fulfill the following three criteria:
- Standardization 2. Reliability 3. Validity
Standardizing a test involve
administering the test to a representative sample of future test takers in order to establish a basis for meaningful comparison.
Standardized tests establish
a normal distribution of scores on a tested population in a bell-shaped pattern called the normal curve.
A test is reliable
when it yields consistent
results
The validity of a test
refers to what the test is
supposed to measure or predict.
You can have ——without —— but you can’t have validity without reliability
reliability; validity
Chronological Age
Person’s age in years
Mental Age
intellectual performance
Intelligence Quotient (IQ)
Intelligence index;
mental age divided by chronological age, then multiplied by 100
Average IQ in the U.S.
100
Giftedness
Having a high IQ (usually above 130) or special talents or abilities
A —– correlation (about .50) exists between IQ and school grades.
strong
IQ is NOT a good predictor of success
in art, music, writing, dramatics, science and leadership
Men and women do NOT appear to differ in overall intelligence.
There are several ways in which males and females differ in various abilities.
Better spellers
girls
verbally fluent and have large vocabularies
girls
better at locating objects
girls
more sensitive to touch, taste, and color
girls
better at special ability and math computation
boys
—— mental ability scores vary more than —-
boys; girls
detect emotions more easily
women
The Nature and Nurture of Intelligence
- Intelligence is NOT solely a consequence of your genes or solely a consequence of your environment.
- We can assess the relative contribution of nature and nurture through twin and adoption studies.
The greater the genetic similarity between two individuals,
the more similar are their IQ scores.
– This suggests a
genetic component to intelligence
All other things being equal, two individuals raised together
will have more similar IQ scores than those raised apart.
– This is evidence that the environment shapes intelligence in important ways.
The IQ scores of adopted children
correlate more highly with those of their biological relatives than with those of their adoptive relatives. Such data point to a probable role of heredity.
Gardner’s Theory of Eight Multiple Intelligences
Language, Logic and Math, Visual and Spatial Thinking, Music, Bodily-Kinesthetic Skills, Intrapersonal Skills (Self-Knowledge), Intrapersonal Skills (Social Abilities), Naturalistic Skills
Language
Used for thinking by lawyers, writers, comedians
Logic and Math
Used by scientists, accountants, programmers
Visual and Spatial Thinking
Used by engineers, inventors, aviators
Music
Used by composers, musicians, music critics
Bodily-Kinesthetic Skills
Used by dancers, athletes, surgeons
Intrapersonal Skills (Self-Knowledge)
Used by poets, actors, ministers
Interpersonal Skills (Social Abilities)
Used by psychologists, teachers, politicians
Naturalistic Skills (Ability to Understand Natural Environment
Used by biologists, organic farmers
