Chapter 7

• Cognition


  Mental activity involved in understanding, processing and communicating information
• Thinking


  Conscious, planned attempts to make sense of and change the world
• Thinking


  • Paying attention to information
  • Mentally representing it
  • Reasoning about it
  • Making decisions about it
• Thinking: problem solving


  1. Understand the problem

  2. The use of algorithms

  3. The use of heuristic devices

  4. The use of analogies
• Algorithm


  A specific procedure for solving a type of problem
• Heuristic devices


  Rules that help us simplify and solve problems
• Analogy


  Partial similarity among things that are different in other ways
• Factors that affect problem solving

  • Mental sets
  • Expertise
  • Insight
  • Incubation
  • Functional fixedness
• Cognitive Biases


  Systematic patterns of deviation from norm and/or rationality in judgment
• Representativeness heuristic


  Make judgments about samples according to the populations they appear to represent
• Availability heuristic


  Our estimates of frequency or probability of events are based on how easy it is to find examples
• Anchoring and adjustment heuristic


  A presumption or first estimate serves as a cognitive anchor; as we receive additional information, we make adjustments but tend to remain in the proximity of the anchor
• Language


  Communication of information by means of symbols arranged according to rules of grammar
• Language


  • Makes it possible for one person to communicate knowledge to another
  • Creates a vehicle for recording experiences
  • Allows us to put ourselves in the shoes of other people
• Intelligence


  Ability to understand the world and cope with its changes
• Intelligence


  • Reason
  • Plan
  • Solve problems
  • Think abstractly
  • Comprehend complex ideas
  • Learn quickly
  • Learn from experience
• Theories of Intelligence


  • Factor theories
  • Triarchic theory of intelligence
  • Theory of multiple intelligences
• Factor theories


  Intelligence is made up of a number of mental abilities
• Factor theories


  • Charles Spearman: Factor g for "general intelligence" and S factor for specific abilities
  • Louis Thurstone: 8 specific factors (primary mental abilities)
• Triarchic theory of intelligence

  • Analytical
  • Creative
  • Practical

  
• Theory of multiple intelligences


  Howard Gardner's theory that there are multiple types of intelligence
• Factors influencing intelligence


  • Environment and stimulation
  • Genetic
  • Health, socioeconomic status, achievement motivation, etc.