General Psychology - Chapter 9
Algorithm
A methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem. Contrasts with the usually speedier - but also more error-prone - use of heuristics
Broca's area
Controls language expression - an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech.
linguistic determinism
Whorf's hypothesis that language determines the way we think
concept
a mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people
prototype
a mental image or best example of a category. Matching new items to a prototype provides a quick and easy method for sorting items into categories (as when comparing feathered creatures to a prototypical bird, such as a robin).
Heuristic
a simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgments and solve problems efficiently; usually speedier but also more error-prone than algorithms
insight
a sudden and often novel realization of the solution to a problem
mental set
a tendency to approach a problem in one particular way, often a way that has been successful in the past
confirmation bias
a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence
cognition
all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
intuition
an effortless, immediate, automatic feeling or thought, as contrasted with explicit, conscious reasoning
two-word stage
beginning about age 2, the stage in speech development during which a child speaks mostly two-word statements
babbling stage
beginning at about 4 months, the stage of speech development in which the infant spontaneously utters various sounds at first unrelated to the household language
belief perseverance
clinging to one's initial conceptions after the basis on which they were formed has been discredited
Wenicke's area
controls language reception - a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe
telegraphic speech
early speech stage in which a child speaks like a telegram—"go car"—using mostly nouns and verbs.
availability heuristic
estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory; if instances come readily to mind (perhaps because of their vividness), we presume such events are common
divergent thinking
expanding the number of possible problem solutions; creative thinking that diverges in different directions
aphasia
impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke's area (impairing understanding).
grammar
in a language, a system of rules that enables us to communicate with and understand others. In a given language, semantics is the set of rules for deriving meaning from sounds, and syntax is the set of rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences.
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
convergent thinking
narrows the available problem solutions to determine the single best solution
language
our spoken, written, or signed words and the ways we combine them to communicate meaning
creativity
the ability to produce new and valuable ideas
one-word stage
the stage in speech development, from about age 1 to 2, during which a child speaks mostly in single words
Overconfidence
the tendency to be more confident than correct—to overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs and judgments.
Framing
the way an issue is posed; how an issue is framed can significantly affect decisions and judgments.
