Unit 6 - Thinking, Language, and Intelligence Flashcards
Language vs. Communication
productivity (saying something you’ve never heard before)
semanticity (remaking a sound and meaning something else)
displacement (referring to something that isn’t present)
Language
a system for combining symbols (words) so that an infinite number of meaningful statements can be made for the purpose of communicating with others
*important part of how people think
All languages share these common characteristics
grammar phonemes morphemes syntax semantics pragmatics
Grammar
system of rules governing common characteristics
Phonemes
basic unit of sound in a language
*reason people have trouble learning different languages is because other languages have different phonemes can’t one can’t pronounce or hear
Morphemes
smallest unit of meaning within a language
Syntax
system of rules for combining words and phrases to form correct sentences
*important for meaning
Semantics
rules for determining meaning of words and sentences
*it’s possible to have the same semantic meaning and have different syntax
Pragmatics
practical aspects of communicating with others
*taking turns in conversation, using gestures, etc.
Intonation
knowing what rhythm and emphasis to use when communicating with others
Piaget vs. Vygotsky
Piaget
- believed that concepts preceded and aided the development of language
- believed collective monologue was egocentric
Vygotsky
- believed that language helped develop concepts and language could help child learn to control behavior
- believed private speech was a way for child to form thoughts and control actions (smarter children used it more in his opinion)
Collective Monologue/Private Speech
preschool children talk to themselves even when playing with others
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis/Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis
the thought processes and concepts within any culture are determined by the words of the culture; the words people use to determine how they think about the world around them
Cognitive Universalism
concepts are universal and influence development of language
Chomsky vs. Skinner
Chomsky
- language is nature
- LAD –> prewired for language
- similarities in languages worldwide
Skinner
- everything’s learned (operant conditioning)
- language is nurture
- differences in languages worldwide
How do children learn language in utero?
- automatic preference towards mother’s voice
- mother’s heartbeat
- get used to the way mother talks
Synaptic Pruning
periods in life when unused synapses are destroyed
*adolescence, under 6 months
Speech Discrimination
ability to discriminate speech sounds goes away with synaptic pruning
Facial Expression
- helps learn language
- mouth is huge cue for understanding language
Prelinguistic Language Development
no formal meaning with language rules
- crying (from birth)
- cooing (2-3 months)
- babbling (4-6 months)
- patterned speech
Linguistic Language Development
- one word (1 year) –> overextension
- two words –> overgeneralization
- telegraphic (approx. 2 years) –> overgeneralization
- phoneme production (4.5-6 years) –> metaphonology
Overextension
use single word to refer to many items
Overgeneralization
using typical rules for grammar because don’t know atypical rules
agent + action –> daddy kiss
agent + object –> man hat
action + object –> give ball
Telegraphic
proper syntax without using all words
Metaphonology
understand all phonemes (how words are put together)
Motherese/Parentese/Caregiver Speech
special way parents talk to their kids
Thinking/Cognition
mental activity that goes on in the brain when a person is processing information (organizing, understanding, communicating)
Mental Images
representations that stand in for objects and events; have a picture-like quality
*people tend to engage mental images like we do physical objects (takes time to rotate mental image just like physical object)
Concepts
ideas that represent a class or category of objects, events, or activities
Formal Concepts
concepts defined by very specific rules or features
Natural Concepts
concepts people form not as a result of a strict set of rules, but rather as the result of experiences with these concepts in the real world
Prototype
concept that closely matches the defining characteristics of the concept
Scripts
kind of schema that involves a familiar sequence of activities
Metacognition
thinking about thinking
Problem Solving
occurs when a goal must be reached by thinking and behaving in certain ways
Decision Making
identifying, evaluating, and choosing among several alternatives
Trial and Error/Mechanical Solution
trying one solution after another until finding one that works
Rote
learned set of roles
Algothithms
specific, step-by-step procedures for solving certain types of problems; always result in a correct solution
Heuristic
“rule of thumb”; simple rule that’s intended to apply to many situation; “mental shortcut”
Representativeness Heuristic
used for categorizing objects and assumes that any object/person that shares characteristics with the members of a particular category is also a member of that category
Base Rates
actual probability of a given event
Availability Heuristic
based on our estimation of frequency/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
Working Backward Heuristic
work backward from the goal
Subgoals
break down a goal into subgoals so that as each subgoal is achieved the final solution is that much closer
Insight
when solution to a problem seems to come suddenly to mind
Functional Fixedness
thinking about objects only in terms of their typical uses
Mental Set
tendency for people to persist in using problem solving patterns that have worked for them in the past
Confirmation Bias
tendency to search for evidence that fits one’s beliefs while ignoring any evidence to the contrary
Framing
how a question or problem is worded affects our response/solution
Creativity
solving problems by combining ideas or behavior in new ways
Convergent Thinking
problem is seen as only having one answer and all lines of thinking will eventually lead to that single answer by using previous knowledge and logic
Divergent Thinking
person starts at one point and comes up with many different ideas/possibilities based on that point
Csikszentmihalyi’s List of Creative People Attributes
- have broad range of knowledge and good mental imagery
- aren’t afraid to be different; more open to new experiences and have more vivid daydreams/dreams
- value their independence
- often unconventional in their work, but not otherwise
Problem Solving Steps
- preparation
- production
- evaluation
Obstacles to Problem Solving
- mental set
- functional fixedness
- confirmation bias
- misusing heuristics (availability, representativeness)
Intelligence
ability to learn from one’s experiences, acquire knowledge, and use resources effectively in adapting to new situations or solving problems
Spearman
- believes in g factor/s factor
- believes superiority in one type of intelligence predicts superiority overall
g factor
general intelligence; ability to reason and solve problems
s factor
specific intelligence; task-specific abilities in areas like music, business…
Guilford
proposed that there were 120 types of intelligence
Gardner
proposed 9 intelligences:
- verbal/linguistic
- musical
- logical/mathematical
- visual/spatial
- movement
- interpersonal
- intrapersonal
- naturalist
- existentialist
Sternberg
triarchic theory of intelligence:
- analytical intelligence
- creative intelligence
- practical intelligence
Galton
pioneer of intelligence testing
Binet
created test that distinguished between fast/slow learners and kids of different age groups
Mental Age
average age person could successfully answer a particular level of questions
Chronological Age
number of years since birth
Stern’s Formula
IQ = MA/CA x 100
Terman
- used Stern’s formula with revised Binet test
- Terman’s “Termites” (study with gifted and genius kids)
Wechsler
designed IQ tests for adults, older school-aged kids, preschool kids, early grades
Reliability
test producing consistent results each time it’s given to same person or group of people
Validity
degree to which a test actually measures what it’s supposed to measure
Ecological Validity
extent that an obtained score accurately reflects the intended skill/outcome in real-life situations
Standardization
process of giving the test to a large group of people that represents the kind of people for whom the test is designed
- establishment of consistent/standard methods of test administration
- groups chosen randomly from population
Norms
scores from standardization group
Normal Curve
distribution with scores most frequent at the mean/average
Standard Deviation
average variation of scores from the mean
Deviation IQ Scores
based on normal curve distribution; IQ’s assumed to be normally distributed with a mean IQ of 100 and a standard deviation of 15
Crystalized Intelligence
when we use knowledge we’ve accumulated over time; this knowledge holds steady as we age
Fluid Intelligence
ability to problem solve and reason abstractly, as well as to pick up new skills; tends to diminish as we age
Dove
created test to highlight problem of cultural bias in IQ tests
Intellectual Disability/Intellectual Developmental Disorder
- neurodevelopmental disorder
- person exhibits deficits in mental abilities (IQ less than 70)
- person’s adaptive behavior is way lower than it should be for their age
- limitations must occur in developmental period
Adaptive Behavior
skills that allow people to live independently
Causes of Intellectual Disabilities
- unhealthy living conditions that affect brain development
- health risks associated with poverty
- lack of oxygen at birth
- damage to fetus from diseases, infections, drug use by mother
- accidents/diseases during childhood
- biological causes include:
- down syndrome
- fetal alcohol syndrome
- fragile X syndrome
Gifted
IQ above 130
Genius
IQ above 145
Emotional Intelligence
accurate awareness of and ability to manage one’s own emotions to facilitate thinking and attain specific goals
Heritability
proportion of change in IQ within a population that’s caused by genetic factors
Flynn Effect
IQ scores steadily increasing over time, generation after generation, in modernized countries
“The Bell Curve” by Herrnstein and Murray
used false data to prove that IQ is inherited
Thurstone
believed in 7 intelligences
Cattell
believed in crystalized vs. fluid intelligences
Chronological Order of Psychologists
Spearman Thurstone Guilford Cattell Gardner Sternberg
Aptitude Test
tests potential (future success)
Achievement Test
tests in school, standardized tests
