Lecture 11 Flashcards
What condition did patient H.M. suffer from after his surgery?
Anterograde amnesia
Anterograde amnesia involves the loss of memories for events that occur after the onset of amnesia.
What type of amnesia involves the loss of memories for events prior to the onset of amnesia?
Retrograde amnesia
What is the difference between amnesia and forgetting?
Amnesia is a condition of memory loss, while forgetting is the inability to recall previously stored information.
What significant role did H.M.’s case play in psychology?
It advanced the understanding of the role of the hippocampus in memory formation.
Define language.
Symbols that combine meaning, plus rules for combining those symbols that can generate an infinite variety of messages.
What are morphemes?
The smallest units of meaning in the English language, including root words, prefixes, and suffixes.
What are phonemes?
Distinct units of sound in a specified language.
At what age can children typically begin to utter words?
10-13 months of age
What is fast mapping in language development?
The ability to map a word onto an underlying concept after just one exposure.
What is metalinguistic awareness?
The ability to reflect on the use of language and think more complexly about language.
What is functional fixedness?
The tendency to perceive an item only in terms of its most common use.
What is a mental set?
When people persist in using problem-solving strategies that have worked in the past.
What is the correct solution to the Candle Problem?
Dump out the tacks and attach the box to the wall.
How many females are there in the Thompson family?
Two
What are heuristics?
Simple strategies or mental shortcuts used to make decisions and solve problems more rapidly.
What are biases in decision making?
Systematic errors in decision making that result from heuristics or similar mental processes.
What does Broca’s Area control?
Producing language.
What is Broca’s Aphasia?
A language disorder characterized by difficulty in producing fluent speech, with intact comprehension.
What is Wernicke’s Aphasia?
Characterized by impaired language comprehension but may not affect the rate, rhythm, and grammar of speech.
Who proposed the Language Acquisition Device (LAD)?
Noam Chomsky
What is the main argument of B.F. Skinner regarding language acquisition?
Children learn language through imitation, reinforcement, and conditioning.
What phenomenon occurs when people put unnecessary constraints on problems?
People fail to see potential solutions outside their assumed limitations.
True or False: Heuristics always lead to correct solutions.
False
What did Tversky and Kahneman’s research demonstrate about decision making?
Decisions are highly swayed by the way options are presented.
What is the primary focus of behavioral economics?
Human decision-making is governed by mental shortcuts rather than rationality.
What concept explains how choices are influenced by presentation?
Tversky & Kahneman’s research on decision-making
This research is foundational in behavioral economics.
What does behavioral economics examine?
The effects of humans’ actual decision-making processes on economic decisions
It contrasts with traditional economics, which assumes rational actors.
What are the two systems of problem-solving in Dual-Process Theory?
System 1 (Intuitive) and System 2 (Analytic)
System 1 is fast and relies on heuristics; System 2 is slow and involves deliberate reasoning.
What characterizes System 1 in Dual-Process Theory?
Fast, implicit/automatic, low cognitive effort
It draws on prior experience and heuristics.
What characterizes System 2 in Dual-Process Theory?
Slow, deliberate, rational thinking; more cognitively demanding
It involves careful analysis to avoid errors.
Who developed the first successful objective test for intellectual ability?
Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon
Their test was published in 1905 and is known as the Stanford-Binet Test.
What is ‘mental age’ in intelligence testing?
The mental ability typical of a child of a given chronological age
A child with a mental age above their chronological age is considered above average.
What formula did Lewis Terman create for Intelligence Quotient (IQ)?
IQ = Mental Age / Chronological Age x 100
This standardizes IQ scores, centering them around 100.
What was a significant change made by David Wechsler in IQ testing?
He removed the idea of intelligence ‘Quotient’ and based scores on the Normal Distribution
This allows for comparisons to a global average score.
What does the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) measure?
Intelligence in adults
It is currently in its fourth revision (WAIS-IV).
What is the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)?
An IQ test designed for children ages 6-16
It is now in its fifth revision (WISC-V).
What are the two major features of modern intellectual disability criteria?
- Deficits in intellectual ability
- Problems with adaptive skills
Adaptive skills refer to everyday living skills.
What is the typical cutoff IQ score for intellectual disabilities?
Around 70-75 or lower
This group shows significant variation in functioning.
What did Sir Francis Galton study regarding intelligence?
Family trees to understand the inheritance of intelligence
He concluded that intelligence is passed down through generations.
What are Entity Theories of Intelligence?
Theories suggesting intelligence is fixed at birth and unchanged by experience
This contrasts with Incremental Theories, which suggest intelligence can change.
What evidence supports Entity Theories of Intelligence?
Studies of twins raised apart showing significant similarity in IQ
This suggests a strong genetic influence on intelligence.
What evidence supports Incremental Theories of Intelligence?
Studies of adopted children showing correlation with their caregivers’ IQ
This suggests environmental influences on IQ.
What is a psychological test?
A standardized measure of a sample of a person’s behavior
Psychological tests can include intelligence tests.
What is the difference between aptitude tests and intelligence tests?
Aptitude tests measure potential in a specific area, while intelligence tests measure general intellectual ability
Intelligence tests do not measure previous learning.
What is an achievement test?
An assessment of developed knowledge or skill
Examples include university exams and certification tests.
Why is standardization important in psychological testing?
To ensure consistent testing conditions and meaningful comparisons
It involves uniform procedures for administration and scoring.
What does reliability in testing refer to?
The consistency, stability, or repeatability of measurements
Reliable tests yield similar results over time.
What are the three main types of reliability?
- Test-retest reliability
- Internal consistency
- Inter-rater reliability
Each type measures different aspects of reliability.
What is test-retest reliability?
The extent to which a measure is consistent over time
It assesses if a test yields stable results at different times.
What is internal consistency?
The extent to which multiple measures for the same variable agree with each other
It assesses if different items measuring the same construct yield similar results.
What is inter-rater reliability?
The extent to which different raters agree on their observations
It is crucial in scenarios requiring subjective judgments.
What is validity in psychological testing?
The degree to which a test measures what it purports to measure
A test can be reliable but not valid.
