AP Psych, Unit 5, Cognitive Psychology

insight

a sudden and often novel realization of the solution to a problem

Syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.

Metacognition

"Thinking about thinking" or the ability to evaluate a cognitive task to determine how best to accomplish it, and then to monitor and adjust one's performance on that task

Alfred Binet

1857-1911; Field: testing; Contributions: general IQ tests, designed test to identify slow learners in need of remediation-not applicable in the U.S. because too culture-bound (French)

Charles Spearman

1863-1945; Field: intelligence; Contributions: found that specific mental talents were highly correlated, concluded that all cognitive abilities showed a common core which he labeled 'g' (general ability)

Algorithm

A methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem.

Herman Ebbinghaus (1850-1909)

After learning lists of nonsense syllables, he studied how much he retained up to 30 days later. He found that memory for novel information fades quickly, then levels out: Ebbinghaus's forgetting curve.

Wolgang Kohler

Gestalt psychologist that first demonstrated insight through his chimpanzee experiments. He noticed the solution process wasn't slow, but sudden and reflective.

gifted

Having above-average intelligence (an IQ of 130 or higher) and/or superior talent for something.

Flynn effect

The rise in average IQ scores that has occurred over the decades in many nations

savant syndrome

a condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill, such as in computation or drawing

intellectual disability

a condition of limited mental ability, indicated by an intelligence score of 70 or below and difficulty in adapting to the demands of life; varies from mild to profound

prototype

a mental image or best example of a category

echoic memory

a momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli

iconic memory

a momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli

Heuristic

a rule-of-thumb problem-solving strategy

short-term memory

activated memory that holds a few items briefly, such as the seven digits of a phone number while dialing, before the information is stored or forgotten

abstract measures

assess how well an individual uses reasoning skills and applies what they know

Thinking

changing and reorganizing the information stored in memory to create new information

Elizabeth Loftus

cognition and memory; studied repressed memories and false memories; showed how easily memories could be changed and falsely created by techniques such as leading questions and illustrating the inaccuracy in eyewitness testimony Her research on memory construction and the misinformation effect created doubts about the accuracy of eye-witness testimony

divided attention

concentrating on more than one activity at the same time Divided attention is required when multiple tasks require selective attention, sustained attention or a combination of both. The problem with dividing attention is caused by the brain mechanism that allows us to switch between multiple different tasks.

Howard Gardner

devised theory of multiple intelligences: logical-mathematic, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, intrapersonal, linguistic, musical, interpersonal, naturalistic

shallow processing

encoding on a basic level based on the structure or appearance of words An approach to memorization that involves focusing on the superficial characteristics of the stimulus, such as the sound of a word or the typeface in which it's printed.

deep processing

encoding semantically, based on the meaning of the words; tends to yield the best retention

effortful processing

encoding that requires attention and conscious effort

Ebbinghaus's forgetting curve demonstrates that:

forgetting is rapid at first and then levels off

speed of processing

how quickly and efficiently the early steps in information processing are completed

Morpheme

in a language, the smallest unit that carries meaning; may be a word or a part of a word (such as a prefix)

phoneme

in language, the smallest distinctive sound unit

Robert Sternberg

intelligence; devised the Triarchic Theory of Intelligence (academic problem-solving, practical, and creative)

Francis Galton

interested in link between heredity and intelligence; founder of the eugenics movement

Noam Chomsky

language development; disagreed with Skinner about language acquisition, stated there is an infinite # of sentences in a language, humans have an inborn native ability to develop language

George Miller

made famous the phrase: "the magical number 7, plus or minus 2" when describing human memory

semantic memory

memory for knowledge about the world

explicit memory

memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare"

fluid intelligence

our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood

Lewis Terman

professor at Stanford who revised the Binet test for Americans. The test then became the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test. He is also known for his longitudinal research on gifted kids.

prospective memory

remembering to do something in the future

David Wechsler

researcher that worked with troubled kids in the 1930's in NYC. He observed that many of these kids demonstrated a type of intelligence that was much different than the type of intelligence needed to succeed in the school system (STREET SMARTS). He created tests to measure more than verbal ability.

implicit memory

retention independent of conscious recollection. (Also called procedural memory.)

verbal measures

the ability to analyze information and solve problems using language-based reasoning.

selective attention

the ability to focus on only one stimulus from among all sensory input

stereotype threat

the apprehension experienced by members of a group that their behavior might confirm a cultural stereotype a self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype

episodic memory

the collection of past personal experiences that occurred at a particular time and place

Semantics

the set of rules by which we derive meaning from morphemes, words, and sentences in a given language; also, the study of meaning

sensory memory

the immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system

Encoding

the processing of information into the memory system—for example, by extracting meaning.

long-term memory

the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences.

automatic processing

unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings