Psychology Chapter 7

The mental activities involved in aquiring, retaining, and using knowledge.

The manipulation of mental representations of information in order to draw inferences and conclusions.

A mental representation of objects or events that are not physically present. 

A mental category of objects or ideas based on properties they share.

A mental category that is formed by learning the rules or features that define it. 

A mental category that is formed as a result of everyday experience.

The most typical instance of a particular concept. 

Individual instances of a concept or category, held in memory. 

Thinking and behavior directed toward attempting different solutions and eliminating those that do not work.

A problem-solving strategy that involves attempting different solutions and eliminating those that do not work. 

A problem-solving strategy that involves following a specific rule, procedure, or method that inevitably produces the correct solution. 

A problem-solving strategy that involves following a general rule of thumb to reduce the number of possible solutions.

The sudden realization of how a problem can be solved.

Coming to a conclusion or making a judgement without conscious awareness of the thought processes involved.

• The first stage. 
• You unconsciously perceive a pattern in the information you are considering.

• The second stage. 
• A representation of the pattern becomes conscious in the form of a hunch or hypothesis.

The tendency to view objects as functioning only in their usual or customary way.

The tendency to persist in solving problems with solutions that have worked in the past. 

• In order to simplify the choice amony many alternatives, a decision is based on one single feature. 
• If a decision is important or complex, making decisions on the basis of just one single feature can increase the riskiness of the decision.

• Systematically evaluate the important features of each alternative for complex decisions. 
• 1. Generate a list of factors most important to you. 
• 2. Rate each alternative on each factor using an arbitrary scale. 
• 3. Add up the ratings for each alternative. 
• Provides a logical strategy for identifying the most acceptable choice from a range of possible decisions. 

• Evaluate all the alternatives one characteristic at a time, typically starting with the most imporant feature. 
• Evaluating all the alternatives and removing each one if it fails to meet that criterion, you can narrow it down until there is only one left. 
• You can also narrow it down to a few alternatives and then use the additive model.

A strategy in which the likelihood of an event is estimated on the basis of how readily available other instances of the event are in memory. 

A strategy in which the likelihood of an event is estimated by comparing how similar it is to the prototype of the event. 

A system for combining arbitrary symbols to produce an infinite number of meaningful statements. 

• The hypothesis that differences among languages cause differences in the thoughts of their speakers.
• Whorfian Hypothesis

The study of animal learning, memory, thinking, and language; also called comparative cognition.

The global capacity to think rationally, act purposefully, and deal effectively with the environment.

A measurement of intelligence in which an individual's mental level is expressed in terms of the average abilities of a given age group. 

A measure of general intelligence derived by comparing an individual's score with the scores of others in the same age group. 

A test designed to measure a person's level of knowledge, skill, or accomplishment in a particular area

A test designed to assess a person's capacity to benefit from education or training.

The administration of a test to a large, representative sample of people under uniform conditions for the purpose of establishing norms. 

A bell-shaped distribution of individual differences in a normal population in which most scores cluster around the average score.

The ability of a test to produce consistent results when administered on repeated occasions under similar conditions. 

The ability of a test to measure what it is intended to measure.

Intelligence is a general ability (g factor)

intelligence can be described as a single measure of general cognitive ability (the g factor) and so can accurately be expressed by a single number like the IQ score. Terman’s approach follows this tradition.

The notion of a general intelligence factor that is responsible for a person's overall performance on tests of mental ability.

disagreed with Spearman. Believed in seven different “primary mental abilities” like verbal comprehension, numerical ability, reasoning, and perceptual speed. The g factor simply an overall average score and less important than an individual’s specific pattern of mental abilities. 

multiple intelligences. Mental abilities are independent of each other and cannot be accurately reflected in a single measure of intelligence. Intelligence must be defined within the context of a particular culture. Eight distinct, independent intelligences

adept use of language

logical, mathematical, and scientific ability

ability to create, synthesize, or perform music

ability to mentally visualize the relationships of objects or movements

control of bodily motions and capacity to handle objects skillfully

understanding of other people’s emotions, motives, and intentions

understanding of one’s own emotions, motives, and intentions

ability to discern patterns in nature

emphasizes both the universal aspects of intelligent behavior and the importance of adapting to a particular social and cultural environment. Has proposed successful intelligence, which involves three distinct types of mental abilities

Robert Sternberg's theory that there are three distinct forms of intelligence: analytic, creative, and practical

the mental processes used in learning how to solve problems

the ability to deal with novel situations by drawing on existing skills and knowledge

the ability to adapt to the environment – street smarts. Behaviors that reflect practical intelligence can vary depending on the particular situation, environment, or culture.

Behavioral syndrome associated with differences in brain functioning and sensory responses, and characterized by impaired social interaction, impaired verbal and non-verbal communication skills, repetitive or odd motor behaviors, and highly restricted interests and routines.

Behavioral syndrome characterized by varying degrees of difficulty in social and conversational skills but normal-to-above-average intelligence and language development; often accompanied by obsessive preoccupation with particular topics or routines.

Disorder characterized by intellectual function that is significantly below average, usually defined as a measured IQ of 70 or below, and that is caused by brain injury, disease or a genetic disorder.

The percentage of variation within a given population that is due to heredity

A psychological predicament in which fear that you will be evaluated in terms of a negative stereotype about a group to which you belong creates anxiety and self-doubt, lowering performance in a particular domain that is important to you.