Psychology Ch. 10 Flashcards
Broca’s area
On the left side, near the mouth in charge of speech.
Wernicke’s area
On the left side, near the ear. Responsible for hearing.
Non- fluent/Broca’s aphasia
being able to understand what is being asked of you (can hear correctly) but leaving you with limited language.
Fluent/Wernicke’s aphasia
Cannot understand language - and has trouble producing sentences that make sense eg., they can speak sentences that sound fine but do not make much sense.
analogical representation
Mental images or concepts that closely resemble the physical objects or experiences they represent.
Symbolic representations
a way for us to use one thing to stand for something else, even though the symbol doesn’t look like what it represents.
a drawing of a heart. You know it doesn’t look like an actual human heart, but you understand it represents love
Prototype Model
shortcut your brain uses for sorting and understanding the world. Instead of examining every detail, your brain uses a “best example” as a template to quickly place objects into categories. (e.g., bird and pengiun)
Exemplar Model
Another approach to understanding how we categorize objects and concepts. Differing from the Prototype Model by focusing on individual examples
Instead of having an abstract, average bird as your standard, you remember specific instances of birds you’ve seen: a robin, a sparrow, a penguin, an ostrich, etc. When you see a new type of bird, you compare it to these remembered examples to decide if it fits into the bird category.
Heuristics
Shortcuts or “rules of thumb” used to reduce the amount of thinking that is needed to make a decision.
Availability heuristic
estimating the frequency of an event based on how easily example of it come to mind
People tend to assume that the examples of events or issues that are easiest to remember are also the most common or probable.
More English words that begin with the letter ‘K’ or have ‘K’ as the third letter. Many might quickly think of words that begin with ‘K’ (like “kangaroo,” “kite,” “kitchen”) because they are easier to recall. However, statistically, there are more words that have ‘K’ as the third letter
Representativeness Heuristic
Making judgments of likelihood based on how similar the person or object is to our prototype for that category
Imagine you meet someone at a party who is quiet, reserved, and loves reading. If asked to guess their profession, you might guess they’re a librarian because they fit the stereotype (prototype) of what many people think a librarian is like.
Framing effects
Refer to changes in the way info is perceived as a result ofthe way in which the formation was presented eg.,
Imagine you are given two choices about the same medical treatment, but the information is presented differently:
This surgery has a 90% success rate.
This surgery has a 10% failure rate.
Language as an Emergent Behavior
a living thing that grows and changes based on how people use it every day. It’s not just about memorizing words or rules from a book. Instead, language comes alive when people talk to each other, share ideas, and even make up new ways to say things.
The Sapir–Whorf Hypothesis
Saying the language you use isn’t just a way to communicate; it actively influences and shapes the way you see and understand the world around you.
In Spanish, the word for “bridge” (“puente”) is masculine, while in German, “bridge” (“Brücke”) is feminine
Linguistic determinism (strong form)
Strong version of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, suggesting that the language we speak doesn’t just influence our thoughts—it completely determines them.
Russian language distinguishes between light blue and dark blue with different words, while English does not. Some studies suggest that this linguistic distinction could make it easier for Russian speakers to perceive these as distinct colors more quickly than English speakers
Linguistic relativism (weak form)
weaker form of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, suggests that while language influences how we think and perceive the world, it doesn’t strictly limit our cognitive capabilities
This form suggests that language influences thought but does not rigidly determine it.
Categorization
The process of grouping things
based on shared information
Items are categorized into fruits, vegetables, dairy, etc., making it easier for shoppers to find what they need.
Concept
mental representations that encompass all instances falling under a category based on shared characteristics or feature
Would be your understanding of what makes a dog a dog (four legs, barks, has fur).
Classical Categorization
method where we group things based on specific rules or features that define each group. If something meets all the criteria or has all the necessary characteristics, it belongs to that group determined on an all-or-none
basis.
E.g., “A triangle is a figure having three angles and three sides”
E.g., “A bird lays eggs, has wings, and can fly”
Problems with classical categorization
We often make exceptions to our rules (e.g., penguins) (fuzzy
boundaries)
Some attributes are more important for defining category
Penguins are a classic example where the rule fails. Penguins are birds that don’t fly, yet they are still categorized as birds
Chomsky
Language is innate
ability to learn language is built into the human brain from birth
Skinner
Language is learned
Taxonomic
Rule based (dog+cat)
Thematic
resemblance based (dog + bone)
Analytical thinking (W)
Primarily on breaking down complex information or problems into smaller, more manageable parts and understanding these parts in isolation.
Scientists use analytical thinking to conduct experiments. They focus on specific variables, control conditions, and use data to support their hypotheses, often ignoring wider contextual factors to ensure clarity and precision in their findings.
Holistic thinking (E)
A way of approaching problems, decisions, or ideas where you look at the whole picture rather than just focusing on individual parts.
e.g., In medicine, a holistic approach means looking not just at symptoms but considering the entire lifestyle, mental health, environment, and genetics of a patient.
Reasoning
Using info to determine if conclusion is valid
Inductive
When you make general guesses or conclusions based on specific things you’ve seen or experienced.
Deductive
Logical process where you start with a general theory or hypothesis and then test it by applying it to specific cases to see if it holds true.
Satisfactory vs. Maximizer
good enough vs best possible outcome
Somatic marker
Emotions
Decision Making
Attempting to select the best alternative
among several options
Heuristics; maximizing versus satisficing
Problem Solving
Finding a way around an obstacle to
reach a goal
Restructuring, overcoming functional fixedness
Functional fixedness
an example of a mental set
getting ‘stuck’ or ‘fixed’ in a
particular approach to solving a
problem or completing a task
Intelligence
The human ability to
use knowledge, solve problems,
understand complex ideas, learn
quickly, and adapt to environmental
challenges
Intelligence Quotient (IQ)
A score on a normed test of
intelligence (i.e., how your score
compares to other people who
have taken the test before you)
The average IQ is set at 100, with
a standard deviation of 15
mental age/chronological age X 100
General Intelligence (g)
The idea that
one general factor underlies all mental
abilities
Spearman’s two-factor theory of
intelligence (1904)
g factor & s factor
S = specific abilities
e.g., some people are more fit and athletic than others.
Fluid intelligence
doing things that don’t rely on existing knowledge “problem solving requiring you to think flexibly.”
doesn’t require learned knowledge like facts of the world
Crystalized Intelligence
Using info that you know about the word to answer and solve problems.
Weschler Adult Intelligence
Scale (WAIS)
a tool that helps understand how smart someone is. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) is like a smartness-measuring instrument for adults
(problem solving, memory, and verbal skills etc..)
Perceptual reasoning
the ability to take in visual info and organize it .
WAIS sample - blocks/scales
Factor analysis
e.g., imagine you are out at sea – you can only see above the water – the photo is moving in sync
you can visualize that the pieces are all connected
(search up a photo to see)
singular construct
being intelligent doesn’t mean you’ll have rational behavior or sound reasoning
Dysrationalia
Stanovich - we know “smart people” but they can still do foolish things or make poor decisions etc..
Triarchic theory of intelligence
Analytical
Creative
Practical
Successful intelligence
how good are we at using our intelligence flexibally - being able to recognize our own strength and weaknesses – use that adaptively to solve probs
Augmented theory of successful intelligence
wisdom - using skill and knowledge toward a common goal
(IQ skill increasing yet we cant solve climate change)
Howard Gardner
theory of multiple intelligences – people can show different skills in a variety of different domains.
e.g., linguistics, kinesthetic intelligence, logical/mathematical etc..
Growth mindset
intelligence can be improved – its changeable.
Cognition
like your brain’s superpower—it’s everything your brain does to think, remember, learn, and solve problems
Flynn effect
a mystery where, for some reason, each new generation seems to be a bit better at certain tests compared to the one before, even though they’re not necessarily getting more classroom education.
Sternbergs theories
Being truly smart is not just about acing tests; it’s about using your analytical, practical, and creative skills to be successful in the real world.
