Thinking, Language, and Intelligence

Question 1

concepts

Answer 1

mental groupings of similar objects, events, ideas, or people

Question 2

algorithm

Answer 2

a methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem

ex. trying to spell out sployochyg by putting each letter in every possible position; this would take 900k tries

Question 3

heuristics

Answer 3

a simple thinking strategy/mental shortcut that allows us to make judgments and solve problems efficiently… more speedy and error-prone than an algorithm

Question 4

insight

Answer 4

a sudden realization of a problem’s solution; contrasts with strategy-based solutions, associated w bursts of brain activity

Question 5

confirmation bias

Answer 5

a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence

Question 6

representative heuristic

Answer 6

judging the likelihood of events in terms of how well they seem to represent/match particular prototypes

ex. truck driver poets

Question 7

availability heuristic

Answer 7

judging the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory; if instances come readily to mind (perhaps bc of their vividness), we presume such events are common

ex. flashing lights of gambling wins

Question 8

convergent vs. divergent thinking

Answer 8

• convergent thinking narrows the available problem solutions to determine the single best solution
• divergent thinking expands the number of possible problem solutions; crative thinking that diverges in different directions

Question 9

Robert Sternberg’s Five Components to Creativity

Answer 9

• expertise… the more “blocks” we have, the more chances we have to combine them in novel ways
• intrinsic motivation… driven by interest, satisfaction, and challenge
• creative environment
• imaginative thinking skills… provides ability to see things in novel ways
• venturesome, determined personality

Question 10

belief perseverance

Answer 10

ignoring evidence that contradicts our beliefs, closes our mind to new ideas

Question 11

overconfidence

Answer 11

overestimating the accuracy of our beliefs and judgements, puts us at risk for errors

Question 12

semantics vs syntax

Answer 12

• semantics: deriving meaning from sounds
  syntax: ordering words into sentences

Question 13

babbling

Answer 13

-does not imitate the adult speech babies hear- it contains sounds from various languages
-starts at 4 months
-babbling begins resembling household language at around 10 months

Question 14

Broca’s vs Aphasia’s Area

Answer 14

B: helps contol language expression by directing the muscle movements involved in speech
W: involved in language comprehension and expression

Question 15

linguistic determinism vs relativism

Answer 15

• linguistic determinism: Benjamin Lee Whorf’s hypothesis that language determines the way we think
• linguistic relativism: the idea that language influences the way we think

Question 16

intelligence

Answer 16

the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations

Question 17

general intelligence

Answer 17

Charles Spearman
-ppl who do well in 1 aspect of int. test tend to well on all/many
-explained by coordinated activity of distinct brain networks, distinct abilities cluster together and correlate enough for g to be true
-he used factor analysis (a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related variables)

Question 18

fluid intelligence (Gf)

Answer 18

our ability to reason speedily and abstractly, as with solving logic problems

found by horn and cattell

Question 19

crystallized intelligence (Gc)

Answer 19

accumulated knowledge (vocab and applied skills)

cattell and horn

Question 20

Cattel-Horn-Carroll Theory

Answer 20

• there is a g int. factor
• we also have more specific abilites
• Gf and Gc bridge the gap from g to spec. abilites, we use g to learn and gain Gc in return
• says many abilities comprise intelligence but that these specific abilites exist under a broader umbrella of general intelligence

Question 21

Thurstone’s primary mental abilities

Answer 21

-intelligence broken down into 7 different factors
-these ended up showing a tendency to cluster, which suggests an underlying g factor

Question 22

Aspects of emotional intelligence

Answer 22

undertanding emotions, managing emotions, using emotions, percieving emotions

Question 23

apptitude vs achievement tests

Answer 23

achievenment tests reflect what you have learned, apptitude tests predict what you will be able to learn

Question 24

Francis Galton

Answer 24

-first person in Western society to access differences in intellect, wanted to measure natural ability and to encourage high ability people to mate
-measured reaction time, muscular power, and body proportions
-well regarded adults and students did not outscore others, the measures did not correlate
-believed in inheritance of genius

Question 25

Lewis Terman and William Sterm

Answer 25

-Terman adapted some of binet’s original items, added others, and established new age norms, extending the age from 12 to superior adults… test called Stanford Binet
-Stern derived IQ (original worked well for kids but adults

Question 26

IQ tests

Answer 26

• mental age over chronological age times 100
• most do not compute like this bc did not work well for adults
• now IQ scores represent person’s performance relative to the average performance (100)

Question 27

David Wechsler

Answer 27

• created the most widely used individual intelligence test, called the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
• based on similarites, vocab, block design, and letter-number sequencing
• has separate scores for verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory, and processing speed

Question 28

standardization

Answer 28

defining uniform testing procedures and meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested group

Question 29

Flynn effect

Answer 29

• James Flynn found that the average person’s intelliegence test score rose three points/decade, seen in 49 countries
• countries w greatest IQ growth have greatest economic growth
• attributed to our need to develop new mental skills to cope with modern environments

Question 30

Why do intelligent people tend to live healthier and longer lives?

Answer 30

• Intelligence facilitates better education, jobs, and environment
• intelligence encourages healthy living: less smoking, better diet, more exercise
• Prenatal events or early childhood illnesses can influence intelligence and health
• a “well-wired” body as evideced by fast reaction speeds, perhaps fosters both intelligence and longevity

Question 31

Gc and Gf over time

Answer 31

Gc increases up to old age, Gf decreases in the 20s and 30s slowly until 75 (and then more rapidly, especially after age 85)

Question 32

Heredity and Intelligence facts

Answer 32

• identical twins, even when adopted by two different families, have very similar IQ… IQ is basically identical when raised in same house
• twins have similar gray and white matter volume, areas assoc. w verbal and spatial intelligence virtually the same and brains show similar activity while doing mental tasks
• fraternal twins IQ are somewhat more alike than nontwin siblings

Question 33

Environment and Intelligence

Answer 33

• same-age unrelated adopted infants raised as siblings have IQs correlated at a level higher than chance
• adoptive children’s intelligence scores resemble bio parents more than adoptive parents, over time becoming more similar
• heritabiliy of general intelligence increases from ab 30% in childhood to well over 50% in adulthood