Chapter 7Chapter 7

Thinking, Language, Thinking, Language, and Intelligenceand Intelligence

CognitionCognition

the mental activities involved in the mental activities involved in acquiring, retaining, and using acquiring, retaining, and using knowledgeknowledge

ThinkingThinking

The manipulation of mental The manipulation of mental representations of information in representations of information in order to draw inferences and order to draw inferences and conclusionsconclusions

Mental ImageMental Image

A mental representation of objects A mental representation of objects or events that are not physically or events that are not physically present present

ConceptConcept

A mental category that is formed by A mental category that is formed by learning the rules or features that learning the rules or features that define itdefine it

Natural ConceptNatural Concept

A mental category that is formed as A mental category that is formed as a result of everyday experiencea result of everyday experience

Prototype Prototype

The most typical instance of a The most typical instance of a particular conceptparticular concept

Problem solvingProblem solving

Thinking and behavior directed Thinking and behavior directed toward attaining a goal that is not toward attaining a goal that is not readily availablereadily available

Trial and ErrorTrial and Error

A problem-solving strategy that A problem-solving strategy that involves attempting different involves attempting different solutions and eliminating those solutions and eliminating those that do not work that do not work

AlgorithmAlgorithm

A problem- solving strategy that A problem- solving strategy that involves following a specific rule, involves following a specific rule, procedure, or method that procedure, or method that inevitably produces the correct inevitably produces the correct solution solution

HeuristicHeuristic

A problem-solving strategy that A problem-solving strategy that involves following a general rule of involves following a general rule of thumb to reduce the number of thumb to reduce the number of possible solutionpossible solution

InsightInsight

The sudden realization of how The sudden realization of how problem can be solvedproblem can be solved

Intuition Intuition

Coming to a conclusion or making a Coming to a conclusion or making a judgment without conscious judgment without conscious awareness of the thought in their awareness of the thought in their usual or customary way usual or customary way

Functional FixednessFunctional Fixedness

The tendency to view objects as The tendency to view objects as functioning only in their usual or functioning only in their usual or customary waycustomary way

Mental setMental set

The tendency to persist in solving The tendency to persist in solving problems with solutions that have problems with solutions that have worked in the pastworked in the past

Availability heuristicAvailability heuristic

A strategy in which the likelihood of A strategy in which the likelihood of an event is estimated on the basis an event is estimated on the basis of how readily available other of how readily available other instances of the even are in instances of the even are in memorymemory

Representativeness Representativeness heuristicheuristic

A strategy in which the likelihood of A strategy in which the likelihood of an event is estimated by an event is estimated by comparing how similar it is to the comparing how similar it is to the prototype prototype

LanguageLanguage

A system for combining arbitrary A system for combining arbitrary symbols to produce an infinite symbols to produce an infinite number of meaningful statementsnumber of meaningful statements

Linguistic relativity Linguistic relativity HypothesisHypothesis

The notion that differences among The notion that differences among languages cause differences in the languages cause differences in the thoughts of their speakersthoughts of their speakers

Animal Cognition Animal Cognition

The study of animal learning, The study of animal learning, memory, thinking, and languagememory, thinking, and language

Intelligence Intelligence

The global capacity to think The global capacity to think rationally, act purposefully, and rationally, act purposefully, and deal effectively with the deal effectively with the environment. environment.

Mental AgeMental Age

A measurement of intelligence in A measurement of intelligence in which an individual’s mental age is which an individual’s mental age is expressed in terms of the average expressed in terms of the average abilities of a given age group abilities of a given age group

Intelligence Quotient Intelligence Quotient

An global measure of intelligence An global measure of intelligence derived by comparing an derived by comparing an individual's scores of others in the individual's scores of others in the same age group same age group

Achievement testAchievement test

A test designed to measure a A test designed to measure a person’s level of knowledge, skill, person’s level of knowledge, skill, or accomplishment in a particular or accomplishment in a particular areasareas

Aptitude TestAptitude Test

A designed to assesses a person’s A designed to assesses a person’s capacity to benefit from education capacity to benefit from education or trainingor training

StandardizationStandardization

The administration of a test to a The administration of a test to a large, representative sample of large, representative sample of people under uniform conditions people under uniform conditions for the purpose of establishing for the purpose of establishing norms norms

Normal DistributionNormal Distribution

A bell shaped distribution of A bell shaped distribution of individual differences in a normal individual differences in a normal population in which most scores population in which most scores cluster around the average scorecluster around the average score

Reliability Reliability

The ability of a test to produce The ability of a test to produce consistent results when consistent results when administered on repeated administered on repeated occasions under similar conditions occasions under similar conditions

ValidityValidity

The ability of a test to measure what The ability of a test to measure what it is intended to measureit is intended to measure

G factor or General G factor or General intelligenceintelligence

The notion of a general intelligence The notion of a general intelligence factor that is responsible for a factor that is responsible for a person’s overall performance on person’s overall performance on tests of mental abilitytests of mental ability

Triarchic theory of Triarchic theory of intelligenceintelligence

Sternberg’s theory that there are Sternberg’s theory that there are three distinct forms of intelligence; three distinct forms of intelligence; analytic, creative, and practical analytic, creative, and practical

HeritabilityHeritability

The percentage of variation within a The percentage of variation within a given population that is due to given population that is due to heredity heredity

Stereotype threat Stereotype threat

A psychological predicament in A psychological predicament in which fear that you will be which fear that you will be evaluated in terms of negative evaluated in terms of negative stereotype about a group to which stereotype about a group to which you belong creates anxiety and you belong creates anxiety and self-doubt, lowering performance self-doubt, lowering performance in a particular domain that is in a particular domain that is important to youimportant to you

PeoplePeople

Alfred BinsetAlfred Binset

French psychologist who, along with French psychologist who, along with Simon, developed the first widely Simon, developed the first widely used intelligence testused intelligence test

Howard GardnerHoward Gardner

Contemporary American Contemporary American psychologist whose theory of psychologist whose theory of intelligence states that there is not intelligence states that there is not one intelligence, but multiple one intelligence, but multiple independent intelligenceindependent intelligence

Charles SpearmanCharles Spearman

British psychologist who advanced British psychologist who advanced the theory that a general the theory that a general intelligence factor, called the g intelligence factor, called the g factor, is responsible for overall factor, is responsible for overall intellectual functioningintellectual functioning

Lewis Terman Lewis Terman

American psychologist who American psychologist who translated and adapted the Binet-translated and adapted the Binet-Simon intelligence test used in the Simon intelligence test used in the US; he also began a major US; he also began a major longitudinal study of the lives of longitudinal study of the lives of gifted children in 1921gifted children in 1921

Louis L. ThurstoneLouis L. Thurstone

American psychologist who American psychologist who advanced the theory that advanced the theory that intelligence is composed of several intelligence is composed of several primary mental abilities and primary mental abilities and cannot accurately described by an cannot accurately described by an overall general or g factor measureoverall general or g factor measure

David Wechsler David Wechsler

American psychologist who American psychologist who developed the Wechsler Adult developed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, the most widely Intelligence Scale, the most widely used intelligence test. used intelligence test.