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Psych Chapter 7
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Cognition | Mental activity that goes on in the brain when a person is processing information |
Cognitive Psychology | Branch of psychology that explores how we acquire knowledge about the world |
Thinking | Process of representing and manipulating info in our mind |
Mental Image | A mental picture or representation of an object or event |
Concepts | Mental categories for classifying events, objects, and ideas on the basis of common features ex. cars, pets |
Logical Concepts | Concepts with clearly defined rules for membership ex. solving a math problem |
Natural Concepts | Concepts with poorly defined rules for membership ex. freedom, honor, justice |
Algorithm | Step by step set of rules for solving a problem |
Heuristic | A rule of thumb for solving problems or making judgements/decisions |
Mental Set | Tendency to rely on strategies that worked in similar situations in the past-may not be appropriate to the present situation |
Functional fixedness | Tendency to perceive objects as limited to the customary functions they serve |
Decision making | Form of problem solving in which we must select a course of action from among available alternatives |
Confirmation Bias | Tendency to maintain allegiance to initial hypothesis despite strong contradictory evidence |
Representativeness heuristic | Rule of thumb for making a judgement that assumes a given sample is representative of the larger population from which it is drawn |
Availability heuristic | Tendency to base decisions on examples that come to mind |
Creativity | Solving problems by combining ideas or behaviors in new ways |
Divergent thinking | Ability to conceive of new ways of viewing situations and new uses for familiar objects |
Convergent thinking | Attempt to narrow down a range of alternatives to converge on the one correct answer to a problem |
Conceptual combinations | Combinations of two or more concepts into one concept, resulting in creation of a novel idea or an application |
Conceptual expansion | Expanding familiar concepts by applying them to new uses |
Brainstorming | Method of promoting divergent thinking by encouraging people to propose solution to a problem without judgement |
Language | A system of communication composed of symbols, words, hand signs, etc. forms of meaningful expression |
Grammar | Set of rules governing symbols in a given language. |
Morphemes | Smallest units of meaning in a language |
Syntax | Rules of grammar that determine how words are ordered within sentences and phrases to form meaningful expressions and semantics |
Semantics | Set of rules governing meaning of words |
Language acquisition device | Chomsky's concept of an innate, prewired mechanism in the brain that allows children to acquire language naturally |
Linguistic relativity hypothesis | Proposition that the language we use determines how we think and how we perceive the world |
Intelligence | Capacity to think and reason clearly and to act purposefully effectively in adapting to the environment and pursing one's goals |
Mental age | A representation of a person's intelligence based on age of people who are capable of performing at same level of ability |
Intelligence Quotient | Measure of intelligence based on performance, on tests of mental abilities, expressed as a ratio between mental age and chronological age or derived from deviation of one's scores from the norms for age group |
Norms | Standards used to compare an individuals performance on a test |
Reliability | Refers to the consistency of test scores over time |
Validity | Degree to which a test measures what it purposes to measure |
Culture fair tests | Tests designed to eliminate cultural biases |
Mainstreaming | Practice of placing children with special needs in a regular classroom environment |
Primary mental abilities | Verbal comprehension, numerical ability, memory, inductive reasoning, perceptual speed, verbal fluency, spatial relations |
Multiple intelligences | Garder's term for the distinct types of intelligence that characterize different forms of intelligence |
Triarchic theory of intelligence | Sternberg's theory of intelligence that posits three aspects of intelligence; practical, analytical, creative |
Crystallized Intelligence | Represents acquired knowledge and skills |
Fluid Intelligence | Problem solving/adaptability in unfamiliar situations |