UNIT 2 - Chapter 7 - Cognition: Thinking, Intelligence, and Language

Question 1

thinking (cognition)

Answer 1

mental activity that goes on in the brain when a person is organizing and attempting to understand information and communicating information to others

Question 2

mental images

Answer 2

mental representations that stand for objects or events and have a picture-like quality

Question 3

concepts

Answer 3

ideas that represents a class or category of objects, events, or activities

Question 4

prototype

Answer 4

an example of a concept that closely matches the defining characteristics of the concept

Question 5

problem solving

Answer 5

process of cognition that occurs when a goal must be reached by thinking and behaving in certain ways

Question 6

decision making

Answer 6

process of cognition that involves identifying, evaluating, and choosing among several alternatives

Question 7

trial and error (mechanical solution)

Answer 7

problem-solving method in which one possible solution after another is tried until a successful one is found

Question 8

algorithms

Answer 8

very specific, step-by-step procedures for solving certain types of problems

Question 9

heuristic

Answer 9

an educated guess based on prior experiences that helps narrow down the possible solutions for a problem. Also known as a “rule of thumb.”

Question 10

representativeness heuristic

Answer 10

assumption that any object (or person) sharing characteristics with the members of of a particular category is also a member of that category

Question 11

availability heuristic

Answer 11

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

Question 12

functional fixedness

Answer 12

a block to problem solving that comes from thinking about objects in terms of only their typical functions

Question 13

mental set

Answer 13

the tendency for people to persist in using problem-solving patterns that have worked for them in the past

Question 14

confirmation bias

Answer 14

the tendency to search for evidence that fits one’s beliefs while ignoring any evidence that does not fit those beliefs

Question 15

creativity

Answer 15

the process of solving problems by combining ideas or behavior in new ways

Question 16

convergent thinking

Answer 16

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

Question 17

divergent thinking

Answer 17

type of thinking in which a person starts from one point and comes up with many different ideas or possibilities based on that point

Question 18

intelligence

Answer 18

the ability to learn from one’s experiences, acquire knowledge, and use resources effectively in adapting to new situations or solving problems

Question 19

g factor

Answer 19

the ability to reason and solve problems, or general intelligence

Question 20

s factor

Answer 20

the ability to excel in certain in certain areas, or specific intelligence

Question 21

triarchic theory of intelligence

Answer 21

Sternberg’s theory that there are three kinds of intelligence; analytical, creative, and practical

Question 22

intelligence quotient

Answer 22

a number representing a measure of intelligence, resulting from the division of ones mental age by ones chronological age and then multiplying that quotient by 100

Question 23

reliability

Answer 23

the tendency of a test to produce the same scores again and again each time it is given to the same people

Question 24

validity

Answer 24

the degree to which a test actually measures what it’s supposed to measure

Question 25

deviation IQ scores

Answer 25

a type of intelligence measure that assumes that IQ is normally distributed around a mean of 100 with a standard deviation of about 15

Question 26

intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder)

Answer 26

condition in which a person’s behavioral and cognitive skills exist at an earlier developmental stage than the skills of others who are the same chronological age; may also be referred to as developmentally delayed. This condition is formerly known as mental retardation

Question 27

gifted

Answer 27

the 2 percent of the population falling on the upper end of the normal curve and typically possessing an IQ of 130 or above

Question 28

emotional intelligence

Answer 28

the awareness of an ability to manage one’s own emotions to facilitate thinking and attain goals, as well as the ability to understand emotions in others

Question 29

heritability

Answer 29

degree to which the changes in some trait within a population can be considered to be due to genetic influences; the extent to which individual genetic differences affect individual differences in behavior; in IQ, proportion of change in IQ within a population that is caused by hereditary factors

Question 30

stereotype threat

Answer 30

condition in which being made aware of a negative performance stereotype interferes with the performance of someone that considers him/herself part of that group

Question 31

language

Answer 31

a system for combining symbols (such as words) so that an unlimited number of meaningful statements can be made for the purpose of communicating with others

Question 32

grammar

Answer 32

the system of rules governing the structure and use of a language

Question 33

phonemes

Answer 33

the basic units of sound in language

Question 34

morphemes

Answer 34

the smallest units of meaning within a language

Question 35

syntax

Answer 35

the system of rules for combining words and phrases to form grammatically correct sentences

Question 36

semantics

Answer 36

the rules for determining the meaning of words and sentences

Question 37

pragmatics

Answer 37

aspects of language involving the practical ways of communicating with others, or the social “niceties” of language

Question 38

linguistic relativity hypothesis

Answer 38

the theory that thought processes and concepts are controlled by language

Question 39

cognitive universalism

Answer 39

theory that concepts are universal and influence the development of language

Question 40

Kosslyn’s Fictional Island

Answer 40

Participants were told to push a button when they imagined a place that they were going to it. The pushing of buttons got further apart, when they had to find it.

Question 41

Which of the following questions would be more likely to produce divergent thinking?

“What is a clothes hanger?”

“How many uses can you think of for a clothes hanger?”

“What does a clothes hanger typically look like?”

“How do you spell clothes hanger?”

Answer 41

“How many uses can you think of for a clothes hanger?”

Question 42

A psychologist asks people to envision a circle. Next, he asks them to draw the circle they envisioned. When comparing the pictures, almost all circles look identical. The fact that a circle typically fits a specific and rigid set of rules is an example of a

natural concept

prototype

formal concept

fuzzy concept

Answer 42

formal concept

Question 43

Researchers have found that it takes ____________ to view a mental image that is larger or covers more distance than a smaller or more compact one.

longer

the same amount of time

less time

half the time

Answer 43

longer

Question 44

Dr. Garber works with children who have grown up in poor socioeconomic conditions. Many of her clients come from homes that do not emphasize education or social involvement, and opportunities for advancement are practically nonexistent. Many are malnourished, have been exposed to a variety of environmental toxins, and have multiple infections without adequate or timely health care. What might these children be at risk for?

organically induced deprivation

intellectual disability

increased emotional intelligence

genetic inhibition

Answer 44

intellectual disability

Question 45

Research suggests that we engage mental images in our mind ____________ the way we engage or interact with physical objects.

a little

much like

randomly and completely different than

not at all like

Answer 45

much like

Question 46

Which type of intelligence, according to Howard Gardner, would most likely be present in farmers, landscapers, and biologists?

visual/spatial

naturalist

existentialist

movement

Answer 46

naturalist

Question 47

One day at work, Julie’s earring fell on the floor, and she was unable to find the back. To keep from losing her earring, Julie reinserted it and used part of a pencil eraser to keep the earring in place. Using a pencil eraser as a temporary earring back showed that Julie overcame

functional fixedness

a mental set

confirmation bias

transformation bias

Answer 47

functional fixedness

Question 48

Trial and error is sometimes referred to as a(n)

heuristic

rule of thumb

mechanical solution

algorithm

Answer 48

mechanical solution

Question 49

Lynn and Ted bought a new house with an unfinished basement. To determine how they want to finish it, they lay down tape on the floor to show where walls will go and rooms will be. This process of problem solving is known as

working backward from the goal

algorithms

trial and error

representativeness heuristic

Answer 49

working backward from the goal

Question 50

What might be the best predictor of why some people do not excel in school but essentially succeed in their life and career choices?

cretinism

emotional intelligence

one’s intelligence quotient

phonemes

Answer 50

emotional intelligence