Cognitive Psychology Flashcards
what is a prototype?
a mental image or the best example of a specific concept
(birds have wings, are small, and can fly : therefore a penguin is a less “birdy” bird) the way that we conceptualize birdiness is a prototype
what is convergent thinking? (Logic)
focuses on coming up with a single well established answer to a problem
what is divergent thinking? (creativity)
focuses on exploring many possible solutions
what is an algorithm problem solving strategy
a set of step by step procedures what provides the correct answer to a particular problem (the you tube “algorithm” solves the problem of weeding out inappropriate videos by putting it through a step by step screening process)
what are heuristics?
educated guesses based on prior experiences (mental short cuts) ie) this worked last time so something similar will work this time (using your experience)
what is a representative heuristic?
comparing the resent situation to most representative mental prototype (people assuming that a black person is more liable to have committed a crime)
what is an availability heuristic?
a decision on examples and information that immediately springs to mind (you feel more likely to win the lottery because you just read an article about someone winning the lottery) (you hear about plane crashes much more often than car crashes so you are much more afraid on a plane crash than a car crash even though car crashes happen more often)
what is a mental set
people use solutions that have worked in the past ( last time I throw a bad pitch I changed my grip, so this time I will change my grip again when really it is a problem with my posture)
what is functional fixedness?
people view problems only in their usual manner (a thumbtack can only be used to hold a paper to a corkboard and not for other things like putting something on the wall or holding paper together etc.)
what is overconfidence?
the tendency to overestimate out own judgement and skill (not taking help from others bc you believe you can do it better even though their help may assist in solving the problem)
what is hindsight bias
the tendency to say I knew it all along or view events as more predictable than they really are (I knew that couple wasn’t going to last)
what is framing?
the acquired response to the formerly neutral stimuli
who is Alfred Binet?
a french psychologist who invented the first used IQ test
- A and B are the FIRST letters in the alphabet
- you need to know the alphabet to have a good IQ
what is “g factor”
the intelligence factor that underlies all intelligent activity (charles spearman)
what is the equation for IQ?
(mental age/actual age) x100
what is fluid intelligence?
the ability to reason with flexibility (diminishes as you age) aka street smarts
what is crystallized intelligence?
the accumululation of knowledge, facts, or skills (increases as you age)
who is howard gardner?
theory of multiple intelligene
what is the Wechsler Intelligence scale?
intelligence was made up a number of different mental abilities rather than a single general intelligence factor
what is the flynn effect
IQ scores are rising worldwide over time
what are achievement tests?
tests that are designed to measure a person’s level of skill and or knowledge in a specific area
what are aptitude tests?
tests that assess or predicts what a person is capable of doing (career tests)
what is the definition of reliability?
tendency of a test to produce the same scores again and again, when it is given to the same people (how many times does the test get the same results?)
what is test-retest reliability?
best for intelligence,, administering a test twice at two different points in time