Thinking and Intelligence Flashcards
What is cognitive psychology?
Cognition (thinking) encompasses the processes associated with:
- perception
- knowledge
- problem-solving
- judgement
- language
- memory
the way of cognition
sensations and informations are received by our brains, filtered through emotions and memories and processed to become thoughts
How does the brain organize information?
through concepts
what are concepts?
categories of linguistic information, images, ideas or memories
- used to see relationships among different elements of experience
- can be complex and abstract (idea of justice) or concrete (types of birds)
- prototypes: best example of concepts
-> eg mahatma gandhi as prototype for category of civil disobedience
what are natural concepts?
created naturally through either direct or indirect experience (eg snow)
what are artificial concepts?
defined by a specific set of characteristics
(defined shaped of geometric)
What are schemata?
a mental construct consisting of a collection of related concepts
- when a schema is activated, we automatically make assumptions about the person/object/situation
what is role schema?
makes assumptions about how individuals in certain roles will behave
what is event schema?
= cognitive script
a set of routine or automatic behaviours
- can vary between cultures and countries
- dictates behaviour
- makes habits difficult to break because their automatic
- eg in an elevator everyone faces the door
dangerous eg texting while driving, because we have the urge to check our phone when it rings
What is language and what are its components?
= a communication system that involves using words and systematic rules to organize those words to transmit information from one individual to another
- lexicon (words of a given language)
- grammar ( set of rules to convey meaning through the use of lexicon)
- phoneme ( basic unit sounds, eh , uh)
-morphemes (smallest unit of language that conveys meaning)
- semantics ( meaning we derive from morphemes and words)
- syntax ( the way words are organized into sentences)
-> syntax and semantics constructs language
How does language develop?
- Noam Chomsky: proposed that the mechanisms underlying language acquisition are biologically determined -> language develops in the absence of formal instruction, language acquisition follows similar patterns in children from different cultures / backgrounds
- critical period: proficiency at acquiring language is maximal early in life
-> being deprived of language during that period impedes the ability to fully acquire and use language
the case of Genie
the effects of language deprivation during the critical period can be seen in this case
- Genie was found at age 13 after being raised in neglectful and abusive conditions
- grew up with virtually no social interactions and was unable to speak when found
- with help, was able to acquire vocabulary but was not able to learn the grammatical aspects of language
what are the stages of language and communication development?
- 0-3 months -> reflexive communication
- 3-8 months -> reflexive communication, interest in others
- 8-13 months -> intentional communication, sociability
- 12-18 months -> first words
- 18-24 months -> simple sentences of two words
- 2-3years -> sentences of three or more words
- 3-5years -> complex sentences, has conversations
what are the problem-solving strategies?
- trial and error: continue trying different solutions until problem is solved (restarting phone)
- algorithm: step-by-step problem-solving formula (instruction manual)
- heuristics: general problem-solving framework -> shortcuts, rule of thumb, working backwards
what are heuristics?
- problem solving strategy
- short cuts
- rule of thumb
- working backwards (begin problemsolving by focusing on the endresult)
- breaking large tasks into smaller steps
when do people use heuristics?
- when one is faced with too much info
- when the decision time is limited
- when the decision is unimportant
- when there is access to little information to use in making the decision
- when an appropriate heuristics happens to come to mind in the same moment
what are the pitfalls to problem-solving?
mental sets:
= persistence in approaching a problem in a way that has worked in the past
- problem when that way is no longer working
- functional fixedness
what is functional fixedness?
inability to perceive an object being used for something other than what it was designed for
what are the 5 biases in making a decision?
- anchoring bias : tendency to focus on one piece of information when making a decision or solving a problem
- confirmation bias: tendency to focus on the information that confirms your existing beliefs
- hindsight bias: leads you to believe that the event you just experienced was predictable, eventhough it wasnt
- representative bias: tendency to unintentionally stereotype someone or something
- availability heuristic: tendency to make a decision based on an example/information/recent experience that is readily available to you, even though it may not be the best to inform your decision
What are the different definitions of intelligence?
- Charles Spearman: believed intelligence consisted of one general facter (g) -> focused on commonalities amongst various intellectual abilities
- Raymond Cattell: divided intelligence into 2 components -> crystalized intelligence and fluid intelligence
-> crystalized intelligence: acquired knowledge and ability to retrieve it (knowing facts)
-> fluid intelligence: ability to see complex relationships and solve problems (knowing how to do something)
Robert Sternberg’s Triarchic theory of intelligence :
-> practical intelligence (street smarts and common sense)
-> analytical intelligence (academic problem solving)
-> creative intelligence (imaginative and innovative problem solving)
Howard Gardner -> multiple intelligences theory
What is Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory?
He proposed that each person possesses at least 8 intelligences:
- linguistic
-logical-mathematical
- musical
- bodily kinesthetic
- spatial
- interpersonal
- intrapersonal
- naturalist
inter- and intrapersonal = emotional intelligence
what is emotional intelligence?
the ability to understand the emotions of yourself and others, show empathy, understand social relationships and cues, and regulate your own emotions and respond in culturally appropriate ways
What is creativity?
= the ability to generate, create, or discover new ideas, solutions and possibilities
creative people usually:
- have intense knowledge about sth
- work on it for years
- look at novel solutions
- seek advice and help of other experts
- take risks
-> divergent thinking
what is divergent thinking?
thinking outside the box
used when more than one possibility exists on a situation
