Chapter 7 Review

Gardner theory of intelligence

- Each person possesses at least eight intelligences. Among these eight intelligences, a person typically excels in some and falters in others. - Linguistic - Logical-mathematical - Musical - Bodily kinesthetic - Spatial - Intrapersonal - Interpersonal - Naturalist

Cognition

Cognitive psychology is the field of psychology dedicated to examining how people think. It attempts to explain how and why we think the way we do by studying the interactions among human thinking, emotion, creativity, language, and problem solving, in addition to other cognitive processes.

Arthur Jenson

- His results led him to the conclusion that IQ is determined by genetics. - He also posited that intelligence was made up of two types of abilities: Level I and Level II. - In his theory, Level I is responsible for rote memorization, whereas Level II is responsible for conceptual and analytical abilities. - According to his findings, Level I remained consistent among the human race. Level II, however, exhibited differences among ethnic groups. - Jensen's most controversial conclusion was that Level II intelligence is prevalent among Asians, then Caucasians, then African Americans.

Effects of environment on intelligence

- Psychologists believe that intelligence is shaped by a child's developmental environment. If parents were to provide their children with intellectual stimuli from before they are born, it is likely that they would absorb the benefits of that stimulation, and it would be reflected in intelligence levels. - Range of Reaction is the theory that each person responds to the environment in a unique way based on his or her genetic makeup. According to this idea, your genetic potential is a fixed quantity, but whether you reach your full intellectual potential is dependent upon the environmental stimulation you experience, especially in childhood.

Mental set

A mental set is where you persist in approaching a problem in a way that has worked in the past but is clearly not working now.

Phonemes

A phoneme (e.g., the sounds "ah" vs. "eh") is a basic sound unit of a given language, and different languages have different sets of phonemes.

Role schema

A role schema makes assumptions about how individuals in certain roles will behave. For example, imagine you meet someone who introduces himself as a firefighter. When this happens, your brain automatically activates the "firefighter schema" and begins making assumptions that this person is brave, selfless, and community-oriented.

Schemas

A schema is a mental construct consisting of a cluster or collection of related concepts. Schemata are a method of organizing information that allows the brain to work more efficiently. When a schema is activated, the brain makes immediate assumptions about the person or object being observed.

Event schema

An event schema, also known as a cognitive script, is a set of behaviors that can feel like a routine. Think about what you do when you walk into an elevator

Morphemes

Phonemes are combined to form morphemes, which are the smallest units of language that convey some type of meaning (e.g., "I" is both a phoneme and a morpheme).

Functional fixedness

Functional fixedness is a type of mental set where you cannot perceive an object being used for something other than what it was designed for.

Heuristics

General problem-solving framework. You can think of these as mental shortcuts that are used to solve problems. Ex: Working backwards; breaking a task into steps.

Sternberg theory of intelligence

Practical intelligence, being practical means you find solutions that work in your everyday life by applying knowledge based on your experiences.

Semantics

Semantics refers to the process by which we derive meaning from morphemes and words.

Conformational bias

The confirmation bias is the tendency to focus on information that confirms your existing beliefs. For example, if you think that your professor is not very nice, you notice all of the instances of rude behavior exhibited by the professor while ignoring the countless pleasant interactions he is involved in on a daily basis.

Syntax

We use semantics and syntax to construct language. Semantics and syntax are part of a language's grammar. Syntax refers to the way words are organized into sentences.