Chapter 8 Cognition Language 10 03 2013 What is Cognitive Psychology Focuses on higher mental processes o Thinking o Language o Memory o Problem solving o Knowing o Reasoning o Judging Thinking and Reasoning What is thought o Brain activity in which mental representations of information are intentionally manipulated Mental representations include words images sounds etc Mental Images o The mind s representations of an object or event There images can be visual auditory olfactory etc Mental images have many of the same properties as real objects Concepts o Mental groupings of similar objects events or people Concepts let us categorize and simplify phenomena Hamburger Hotdogs are conceptualized as food MU is a school high school is a school general concept o Function of Concepts Our conceptions of behavior help us understand a complex world I wash my hands 20 times a day I m a doctor or I have OCD makes your conception different depending on the reason Prototypes Very typical examples of a concept Culture and Prototypes There s a lot of agreement within cultures about what constitutes a prototype Reasoning of premises o Syllogistic reasoning involves drawing conclusions from a set Premise 1 Ian dislikes tall steep bridges Premise 2 the Rainbow Bridge is tall and steep Conclusion Ian dislikes the Rainbow Bridge o Algorithms and Heuristics Algorithms are rules that when applied correctly guarantee accurate solutions Heuristics are mental shortcuts that can lead to correct solutions o Common Heuristics The representativeness heuristic involves judging people by the extent to which they represent a group The availability heuristic involves judging an event s probability by the ease with which it can be recalled The familiarity heuristic involves judging familiar items as superior to unfamiliar items Problem Solving Types of problems objects o Arrangement problems involve rearranging or recombining o Structure induction problems involve identifying object structure and size and relationships between objects o Transformational problems consist of an initial state a goal state and identifying how to reach the goal state Three steps in problem solving o Preparing to solve problems o Producing solutions o Judging solutions Preparation o More time spent preparing to solve novel new unfamiliar problems o Preparation is simpler with a well defined problem The problem s nature and information needed to solve it o When preparing to solve problems we develop cognitive are available representations of them o We also separate problems into parts or focus on certain information Producing Solutions o Trial and error is the simplest strategy Trial and error is very tedious for complex problems o Producing solutions with heuristics Means end analysis involves testing for differences between current and goal states This can help with more complex problems Using subgoals involves dividing a problem into a series of step this Sometimes problems are too complex for o Producing solutions via insight Suddenly becoming aware of relations between elements in a problem called insights Insight must be preceded by practice o Judging solutions It s easy to judge solutions to concrete problems It s more difficult to judge solutions to more complex problems What makes problem solving so difficult o Functional fixedness is the tendency to think of an object only in terms of it s typical use o Mental sets are the tendency for old patterns of problem solving to persist Creativity and Problem Solving o Creativity is the ability to generate original ideas or solve problems in novel ways Divergent thinking is the ability to generate unusual yet appropriate responses Language What is language o The communication of information through symbols arranges according to systematic rules o Language is intimately tied to how we think about the world Grammar expressed o The system of rules that determine how thoughts are o There are three major grammatical components Phonemes are the smallest basic units of speech that Different pronunciation of the same letter Syntax refers to rules dictating how sentences are affect meaning formed We say the cat is climbing up the tree not the tree up cat climbs Semantics are the meaning of words and sentences Understanding what the sentence means Language Development o 3mo 1yr babbling is a speech like but meaningless sounds o 2yrs children use sentences omitting critical words called telegraphic speech o 3yrs children use the past tense but use the same rules even when it leads to error called overgeneralization How do we acquire language o The learning theory approach says language acquisition follows operant conditioning principles o The nativist approach says language capabilities are innate and universal o The interactionist approach says that we have language predispositions that are the nurtured Does language influence thought o The linguistic relativity hypothesis says language influences o Newer research suggests that thought actually influences perception and thought language Capitalization of I in English shows the superiority complex of people who speak English b c usually things that are capitalized are important o In any case thought and language undoubtedly interact Do animals use language o Animals can communicate but that doesn t mean they use o Some primates can create simple sentences and invent language syntactical rules o Critics say animals simply mimic language they don t really understand they just mimic it Chapter 9 Intelligence 10 03 2013 Slides are on Blackboard so is the video watch it What is Intelligence o Western Cultures and the book s definition the capacity to understand the world think rationally and use resources effectively when faced with challenges Theories of Intelligence o Single Theories o Multifaceted Theories G factor everything Crystallized vs Fluid Intelligence o Global factor o People who are good at one area of general intelligence are good at o Crystallized accumulation of information skills and strategies people have learned through experience Recalling childhood memories Scoring high on a vocab test Fluid ability to reason abstractly o Puzzles o logic puzzles 8 Levels of Intelligence Musical Bodily Logical o Skills using the whole body or various portions Linguistic Spatial o Bilingual people o Spatial configurations o Architects Intrapersonal o Knowledge of your own self o Mindfulness o Understanding your own emotions Interpersonal Naturalist