Chapter 7

Thinking is cognition: organizing information, understanding it, & communicating it to others.

Concepts are ideas that represent objects, events & activities.

Formal concepts are defined by specific rules or features.

"Fuzzy" natural concepts come as a result of real-life experience.

A prototype is a concept that closely matches the characteristics of a concept.

4 Ways to Problem Solve:

• Trial & Error
• Algorithm
• Heuristic
• Insight

Trial & Error involves one attempt after another until a solution works.

Algorithms (used by a computer) use specific steps to find the CORRECT solution.

Heuristic is a "rule of thumb" based on experience.

Insight sudden realization of the solution.

3 Barriers to Problem Solving:
Functional Fixedness
Mental Set
Confirmation Bias

Functional Fixedness-thinking of only the typical use of an object.

Mental Set-stuck in using past ways of doing things.

Confirmation Bias-looking for info to support your idea vs. open to new ideas.

In convergent thinking, all problems have one answer (only 1 way to do things).

Divergent thinking is where many different ideas are explored.

Intelligence is defined as the ability to learn from experience, acquire knowledge, & adapt.

Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of Intelligence:

3 intelligences are creative (divergent thinking), practical (street smarts)& analytical (book smarts)

IQ, or intelligence quotient is mental age divided by actual age x 100.

2 commonly used IQ tests: Stanford Binet & the Weschler Scales

Reliability is a test's ability to yield consistent results.

Validity is whether the test measures what it is supposed to measure.

Standardization is a process of giving a test to a group of people that represents the intended population.

Norm is the standard.

Normal Curve

Mean is the average.

Standard deviation is the % of scores away from the mean.

3 criteria for the diagnosis of intellectually disabled:

• IQ below 70
• adaptive behavior below age appropriate level
• present before age 18

Gifted is the upper 2% of the population; IQ above 130.

Emotional Intelligence is the awareness of & ability to manage emotions, & to understand others' emotions

Language is a system for combining symbols to communicate with others.

Grammar is the rules that govern the structure & use of a language.

Grammar

• Phonemes-basic sound units
• Morphemes-basic units of meaning
• Syntax-rules for combining words
• Semantics-meaning of words
• Pragmatics-the social "rules" of language