Psych8: Thinking and Intelligence

mental activity such as thinking or representing information

a mental representation that has some of the physical characteristics of an object; it is analogous to the object

maps, family trees, etc.

an abstract mental representation that does not correspond to the physical features of an object or idea

words, ideas, etc.

the idea that a concept is characterized by a list of features that are necessary to determine if an object is a member of the category

an approach to object categorization that is based on the premise that within each category, some members are more representative than others


come items within a group or class are more representative of that category than are other items within that group or class

information stored about the members of a category is used to determine category membership

using information to determine if a conclusion is valid or reasonable

attempting to select the best alternative among several options

finding a way around an obstacle to reach a goal

using a belief or rule to determine if a conclusion is valid (follows logically from the belief or rule)

general to specific

using examples or instances to determine if a rule or conclusion is likely to be true

specific to general

in problem solving, shortcuts (rule of thumb or informal guidelines) used to reduce the amount of thinking that is needed to move from an initial state to a goal state

making a decision based on the answer that most easily comes to mind

a rule for categorization based on how similar the person or object is to our prototypes for that category

the effect of presentation on how information is perceived

the sudden realization of a solution to a problem

new way of thinking about a problem that aids its solution

a problem solving strategy that has worked in the past

the human ability to use knowledge, solve problems, understand complex ideas, learn quickly, and adapt to environmental changes

test current levels of skills and knowledge

tests whether a person will be good at things in the future

an assessment of a child's intellectual standing relative to that of his peers; determined by a comparison of the child's test score with the average score for children of each chronological age

the number computed by dividing a child's estimated mental age by the child's chronological age, and then multiplying this number by 100.

the idea that one general factor underlies all mental abilities

information processing in novel or complex circumstances

knowledge acquired through experience and the ability to use that knowledge

the idea that people can show different skills in a variety of different domains

a form of social intelligence that emphasizes the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions to guide thoughts and actions

apprehension about confirming negative sterotypes related to one's own group