1. Thinking, Language, and Intelligence
Myers’ EXPLORING PSYCHOLOGY (5th Ed)
Chapter 9
Thinking, Language, and Intelligence

2. Thinking (cognition) Thinking: Mental activities associated with:
processing
understanding
remembering
communicating

3. Thinking Concepts: mental groupings of similar objects or ideas
examples:
truck
dog
sad

4. Concepts – formed by definition
Example: shape with 3 sides

5. Concepts – formed by developing prototypes
Prototype  mental image or best example

6. Thinking: Solving Problems
Insight:
suddenly realize the solution to a problem
doesn’t require use of strategies
example: “getting” a joke

7. Thinking: Solving Problems
We also use strategies
Algorithms:
methodical
step-by-step
can take longer
Heuristics:
simpler strategies
quicker
more error-prone

8. Problem Solving Obstacles
Confirmation Bias
we tend to search for info that confirms our ideas
overlook contradictory info
example: communication with deceased
Fixation
inability to see a problem from a new perspective

9. The Representativeness Heuristic
judge likelihood of things by how well they match prototypes
ignore other info

10. Representativeness Heuristic
A person is short, slim, and likes to read poetry.
more likely to be a professor of classics at Ivy League university or truck driver?

11. Availability Heuristic
judging likelihood of events based on how readily they come to mind (memory)
quickly comes to mind  we assume it is common
sometimes true, but not always
results in errors

12. Availability Heuristic
Does the letter k appear more often as the first or third letter in English usage?
examples of 1st letter: knife, king, know
think of examples quickly
examples of 3rd letter: take, likelihood, ask
harder to think of
but actually more likely

13. Overconfidence tend to overestimate: examples can also be positive
accuracy of our knowledge
our performance in tasks
examples
school assignments (take longer than we expect)
can also be positive
people who have more overconfidence:
happier
find it easier to make decisions
seen as more credible

14. Framing
same information, presented differently can lead us to feel differently
hearing that 10% die from a surgery vs. hearing that 90% survive
risk is rated as greater when we hear 10% die
risks framed with numbers cause more fear than percentages
10 people out of 10 million will die versus will die
survey questions can be framed to support or reject viewpoints

15. Belief Perseverance
stick with our beliefs even if they have been discredited
example: opposing views of capital punishment
subjects were shown mixed evidence:
more impressed by the study that supported their beliefs
disputed the other study

16. Fear: Why do we fear the wrong things?
Flying versus driving
Ancestral history
(snakes, heights)
Fear what we cannot control
driving we control (flying we don’t)
Fear what is immediate
smokers may fear flying
Fear what is most readily available in memory
dramatic tsunami (killed 300,000) vs. malaria killing similar # of children every few months

17. Language Language 1st birthday to high school graduation
spoken, written, signed words
combined to communicate meaning
1st birthday to high school graduation
we learn 60,000 words (10 per day)

18. Language Babbling Stage beginning at 3 to 4 months
infant spontaneously utters various sounds
at first: unrelated to the household language
can’t identify language (e.g., English, Korean)
at 10 months: household language can be identified

19. Language One-Word Stage
the stage in speech development during which a child speaks mostly in single words
from about age 1 to age 2

20. Language Two-Word Stage Telegraphic Speech starts about age 2
two word statements
Telegraphic Speech
early speech stage (age 2)
child speaks like a telegram
“go car”; “want milk”
mostly nouns and verbs

21. Language Summary of Language Development Month (approximate) Stage 410 12 24
24+
Babbles many speech sounds.
Babbling reveals household
language.
One-word stage.
Two-word, telegraphic speech.
Language develops rapidly into
complete sentences.

22. Language Influences Biological Environmental
brains are wired to use language
Environmental
need exposure early on
differences in environment influence language ability

23. Language Second language learning gets harder with age 100 90 80 70 6050
Native
3-7
8-10
11-15
17-39
Percentage
correct on
grammar
test
Age at arrival
The older the age at immigration, the poorer the mastery of a second language

24. Language Linguistic determinism (1950s) Now: Benjamin Lee Whorf
hypothesis that language determines the way we think
Now:
“determines” is too strong…
but language influences thinking

25. Language Influences Thinking
English –
more words for self-focused emotions (e.g., anger)
Japanese –
more words for interpersonal emotions (e.g., sympathy)

26. Do Animals Think?
Animals (especially great apes) display capacity for thinking
Form concepts
monkeys learn to classify cats and dogs; different neurons respond
Display Insight
fruit and long stick placed beyond reach
chimpanzee given short stick in cage
couldn’t reach fruit, gave up, suddenly used short stick to get long stick

27. Do animals exhibit language?
They can comprehend and communicate
Monkeys: different alarm cries depending on predator
Whales: clicks and wails
Honeybees: dance to inform others of food source location
Dogs: interact with us; can fetch items by name

28. Do animals exhibit language?
Depends on definition of language
ability to communicate through meaningful symbols? yes (apes)
expression of complex grammar? no
Previously thought that animals could not:
plan, form concepts, count, use tools
show compassion
use language
Animal research has found that animals CAN do all of these