Chapter 7: Thinking and Intelligence Study Guide Psychology Part 1

What does a prototype serve as?

Anexemplar to which we compare newly encountered info to determine if it fits into a concept

What are some obstacles to effective problem solving?

Confirmation bias and fixation

What do we do as we process information?

Create concepts, otherwise referred to as schemas

What do concepts help us with?

Creating complex thoughts

What is language connected to?

Culture and environment

What makes humans unique among all other species>

Language

What are the components of language?

Lexicon, grammar, phoneme, morpheme, semantics, and syntax

What are the three types of fixation?

Mental set, perceptual set, and functional fixedness

Phoneme

a basic sound unit of a given language; used to form words

B.F. Skinner

Proposed that language develops through reinforcement

What do concepts do?

Simplify thinking; allow us to communicate with others, make decisions, and solve problems based on generalizations that we have learned to associate with different concepts or categories into which we have organized our experience

Schema

a cluster of related concepts; a method of organizing info that allows more efficient thinking. When a schema is activated the mind makes immediate assumptions about the person, object or ides being considered and uses this info to fill in gaps in info. This can be helpful but also problematic

Artificial Concepts

a concept defined by a specified set of characteristics

Mental set

a form of fixation in which we approach a problem from the mind-set of what has worked in the past

Prototypes

a mental image or definition that best exemplifies what we consider the defining characteristics of the concept

Perceptual set

a predisposition to view something on the basis of previous experience or priming

Event Schema (Cognitive Script)

a set of behaviors that constitute a routine; usually performed automatically and unconsciously. Can vary among different cultures and groups. These routines become habitual and thus may be difficult to change

Functional fixedness

difficulty seeing an object as useful for something other than its original purpose

What does research indicate dealing with language?

language can affect perception in the left cerebral hemisphere but less so in the right hemisphere

Syntax

the way words are organized into sentences

Lexicon

the words given language

Natural Concepts

created "naturally" through experience; either direct or indirect

What are some various problem-solving strategies?

Trial and error, algorithms, heuristics, and insight

Cognition psychology

all mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating info

Fixation

an inability to see a problem from a fresh perspective

Role Schema

assumptions about how people in certain roles will behave

Noam Chomsky

believed that the mechanisms underlying language acquisition are biologically determined, evidence supports Chomsky's position, language develops in the absence of formal instruction and follows a similar pattern in children from diverse cultures

Critical Period of Language Development

proficiency for acquiring language is maximal early in like. As people age acquiring a language becomes more difficult and may never attain full proficiency; by one year of age children can discriminate only among phonemes of language(es) in their environment

Heuristics

simple thinking strategies that increase the odds of solving the problem but don't guarantee a result. More efficient than algorithms or trial and error so we tend to rely frequently on these strategies

Algorithms

step-by-step, methodical, logical procedures guaranteed to solve a problem if we have the right info and apply the method correctly Ex. Recipes, formulas, etc.

Language

system of communication that uses words and rules governing the use of those words to transmit info from one individual to another

Linguistic Determinism

the idea that language influences the way we think. English speakers think about time as horizontal; Mandarin Chinese speakers think of time and both horizontal and vertical. Research indicate that this can affect performance on cognitive tests depending on how tasks are framed

Semantics

the process by which we derive meaning from morphemes and words

Grammar

the rules used to convey meaning through the use of a lexicon

Morpheme

the smallest unit of a language that conveys meaning Ex. I

Confirmation Bias

the tendency to seek out and favor evidence that supports our ideas rather than evidence that contradicts them. Once people form a belief, they prefer belief confirming info over belief contradicting info

Trial and Error

trying various solutions until we find one that works. Can take a long time and a lot of effort

Once we form a concept...

we form a prototype

Insight

when the solution to a problem seems to come out of the blue

When does insight usually occur?

when we take a break from trying to use various problem-solving strategies