AP Psych: Thinking

Divergent Thinking

a type of creative thinking in which one generates new solutions to problems

Convergent Thinking

a type of critical thinking in which one evaluates existing possible solutions to a problem to choose the best one

Confirmation Bias

tendency to maintain allegiance to an initial hypothesis despite strong evidence to the contrary

Superordinate Concepts

the broadest concepts in a three-level hierarchy of concepts

Functional Fixedness

tendency to think of things only in terms of their usual functions

Culture-Fair Tests

tests designed to eliminate cultural biases

Intelligence

the ability to learn from experience, to use information, to understand things

Intelligence Quotient {IQ}

the average is 100; there are many definitions of this attribute, including multiple and crystallized

Metaphor

figure of speech used to represent an object or concept by comparing it to another

Decision Making

form of problem solving in which one must select a course of action from among the available alternatives

Problem Solving

form of thinking focused on finding a solution to a particular problem

Reliability

the stability of test scores over time

Language Acquisition Device

Chomsky's concept of an innate, prewired mechanism in the brain that allows children to acquire language naturally

Multiple Intelligences

Gardner's term for the distinct types of intelligence that characterize different forms of intelligent behavior

Triarchic Theory Of Intelligence

Sternberg's theory of intelligence that posits three aspects of intelligence: analytic, creative, and practical

Incubation Period

a respite from active problem-solving effects, which may facilitate a solution

Grammar

a system of rules in a language that enables us to communicate with and understand others

Eugenics

attempts to improve the human genetic stock by encouraging breeding among intellectually superior people

Conceptual Combinations

combinations of two or more concepts into one concept, resulting in the creation of a novel idea or application

Logical Concepts

concepts with clearly defined rules for membership

Natural Concepts

concepts with poorly defined or fuzzy rules for membership

Heritability

degree to which heredity accounts for variations on a given trait within a population

Mental Age

developed by Binet; equal to one's chronological age times the percentage score on an IQ test

Availability Heuristic

estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory

Mental Retardation

generalized deficit or impairment in intellectual and social skills

Morphemes

in a language, the smallest unit that carries meaning

Phonemes

in a spoken language, the smallest distinctive sound unit

Analogy

in problem-solving, a strategy based on using similarities between the properties of two things or applying solutions to past problems to the problem at hand

Representativeness Heuristic

judging the likelihood of things in terms of how well they seem to represent, or match, particular prototypes

Cognitive Psychology

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

Concepts

mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people

Mental Image

mental picture or representation of an object or event

Brainstorming

method of promoting divergent thinking by encouraging people to propose as many solutions to a problem as possible without fear of being judged negatively by others, no matter how farfetched their proposals may be

Algorithm

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

Subordinate Concepts

narrowest level of concepts in a three-level hierarchy of concepts

Negative Instance

object that does not fit a particular concept

Positive Instance

object that fits a particular concept

Creativity

originality of thought associated with the development of new, workable products or solutions to problems

Language

our spoken, written, or gestured works and the way we combine them to communicate meaning

Thinking

process of mentally representing and manipulating information

Mainstreaming

practice of placing children with special needs in a regular classroom environment

Standardization

process of establishment of norms for a test by administering the test to large numbers of people who constitute a standardization sample

Linguistive Relativity Hypothesis

proposition that the language we use determines how we think and how we perceive the world

Primary Mental Abilities

seven basic mental abilities that Thurstone believed constitute intelligence

Heuristic

simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgments and solve problems efficiently

Norms

standards used to compare an individual's performance on a test with the performance of others

Predictive Validity

success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict

Mental Set

tendency to approach a problem in a particular way

Conceptual Expansion

the expansion of familiar concepts into new uses

Validity

the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to

Content Validity

the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest

Basic-Level Concepts

the middle level of concepts in a three-level hierarchy of concepts, corresponding to the categories we most often use in grouping objects and events

Syntax

the rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences in a given language

Semantics

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

Framing

the way an issue is posed