Cognition: Thinking, Intelligence, and Language Flashcards
mental activity that goes on in the
brain when a person is organizing and
attempting to understand information
and communicating information to
others.
thinking (cognition)
mental representations that stand
for objects or events and have a
picture-like quality
mental images
ideas that represent a class or category
of objects, events, or activities.
concepts
an example of a concept that closely
matches the defining characteristics of
the concept.
prototype
process of cognition that occurs when
a goal must be reached by thinking
and behaving in certain ways.
problem solving
process of cognition that involves
identifying, evaluating, and choosing
among several alternatives.
decision making
problem-solving method in which one
possible solution after another is tried
until a successful one is found.
trial and error (mechanical
solution)
very specific, step-by-step procedures
for solving certain types of problems.
algorithms
an educated guess based on prior
experiences that helps narrow down
the possible solutions for a problem.
Also known as a “rule of thumb.
heuristic
assumption that any object (or person)
sharing characteristics with the members of a particular category is also a
member of that category
representativeness heuristic
estimating the frequency or likelihood
of an event based on how easy it is to
recall relevant information from memory or how easy it is for us to think of
related examples.
availability heuristic
a block to problem solving that comes
from thinking about objects in terms
of only their typical functions.
functional fixedness
the tendency for people to persist in
using problem-solving patterns that
have worked for them in the past.
mental set
the tendency to search for evidence
that fits one’s beliefs while ignoring
any evidence that does not fit those
beliefs.
confirmation bias
the process of solving problems by
combining ideas or behavior in new
ways.
creativity
type of thinking in which a problem is
seen as having only one answer, and
all lines of thinking will eventually
lead to that single answer, using previous knowledge and logic.
convergent thinking
type of thinking in which a person
starts from one point and comes up
with many different ideas or possibilities based on that point.
divergent thinking
the ability to learn from one’s experiences, acquire knowledge, and use
resources effectively in adapting to
new situations or solving problems.
intelligence
the ability to reason and solve problems, or general intelligence.
g factor
the ability to excel in certain areas, or
specific intelligence.
s factor
Sternberg’s theory that there are three
kinds of intelligence: analytical, creative, and practical.
triarchic theory of intelligence
the ability to break problems down
into component parts, or analysis, for
problem solving
analytical intelligence
the ability to deal with new and different concepts and to come up with new
ways of solving problems.
creative intelligence
the ability to use information to get
along in life and become successful.
practical intelligence
