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Chapter 7
Thinking
30
Psychology
Undergraduate 1
10/20/2011

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Term
Cognitive Psychology
Definition
The branch of pyschology that focuses on the study of higher mental processes, including thinking, language, memory, problem solving, knowing, reasoning, judging, and decision making.
Term
thinking
Definition
The manipulation of mental representations of information.
Term
mental images
Definition
Representations in the mind that resemble the object or event being represented.
Term
concepts
Definition
Categorizations of objects, events, or people that share common properties.
Term
prototypes
Definition
Typical, highly representative examples of a concept.
Term
algorithm
Definition
A rule that, if applied appropriately, guarentees a solution to a problem.
Term
heuristic
Definition
A cognitive shortcut that may lead to a solution.
Term
means-end analysis
Definition
Repeated testing for differences between the desired outcome and what currently exists.
Term
functional fixedness
Definition
The tendency to think of an object only in terms of its typical use.
Term
mental set
Definition
The tendency for old patterns of problem solving to persist.
Term
confirmation bias
Definition
The tendency to favor information that supports one's intial hypotheses and ignore contradictory information that supports alternative hypotheses or solutions.
Term
creativity
Definition
The ability to generate orignal ideas or solve problems in novel ways.
Term
divergent thinking
Definition
The ability to generate unusal, yet nonetheless appropriate, responses to problems or questions.
Term
convergent thinking
Definition
The ability to produce responses that are based primarily on knowledge and logic.
Term
language
Definition
The communication of information through symbols arranged according to systematic rules.
Term
grammar
Definition
The system of rules that determine how our thoughts can be expressed.
Term
phonolgy
Definition
The study of the smallest units of speech, called phonemes.
Term
syntax
Definition
Ways in which words and phrases can be combined to form sentences.
Term
semantics
Definition
The rules governing the meaning of words and sentences.
Term
babble
Definition
Meaningless speechlike sounds made by children from around the age of 3 months through 1 year.
Term
telegraphic speech
Definition
Sentences in which words not critical to the message are left out.
Term
overgeneralization
Definition
The phenomenon by which children apply language rules even when the application results in an error.
Term
learning-theory approach (to language developement)
Definition
The theory suggesting that language acquisition follows the principles of reinforcement and conditioning.
Term
nativist approach (to language developement)
Definition
The theory that a genetically determined, innate mechanism directs language development.
Term
universal grammar
Definition
Noam Chomsky's theory that all the worlds language share a common underlying structure.
Term
language-acquisition device
Definition
A neural system of the brain hypothesized by Noam Chomsky to permit understanding of language.
Term
interactionist approach (to language development)
Definition
The view that language developement is produced through a combination of genetically determined predispotions and enviromental circumstances that help each language.
Term
intellegence
Definition
The capacity to understand the world, think rationally, and use resources effectively when faced with challenges.
Term
g or g-factor
Definition
The single, general factor for mental ability assumed to underlie intelligence in some early theories of intelligence.
Term
fluid intelligence
Definition
Intelligence that reflects information-processing capabilities, reasoning, and memory.
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