1. Chapter 7 THINKING AND INTELLIGENCE
Psychology
Chapter 7 THINKING AND INTELLIGENCE
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2. Cognition (Thinking): mental activity associated with organizing, storing, communicating or processing information
Note that we know when / that we are thinking
Cognitive psychologists study how we think
We may use mental images (representations of objects). We also make mental maps (dude!)
We also use Concepts: ideas that represent a class of objects, ideas, images, or memories.
Some are complex or abstract
Some are straightforward or concrete
Some are personal or very individualized

3. FIGURE 7.2
Sensations and information are received by our brains, filtered through emotions and memories, and processed to become thoughts.

4. What else should I know about concepts?
Artificial ones are rigidly defined (triangle)
Natural concepts more vague & fuzzy
Prototypes are standards or best examples
And we’ve got schemata, schemas, role schemas, & event schemas (cognitive scripts)
We also use words or language to think
Skinner: language learned via reinforcement.
Chomsky: we are biologically predisposed
Timing is somewhat critical: Genie’s case.

5. FIGURE 7.4
(a) Our concept of snow is an example of a natural concept—one that we understand through direct observation and experience.
(b) In contrast, artificial concepts are ones that we know by a specific set of characteristics that they always exhibit, such as what defines different basic shapes. (credit a: modification of work by Maarten Takens; credit b: modification of work by “Shayan (USA)”/Flickr)

6. FIGURE 7.5
What event schema do you perform when riding in an elevator? (credit: “Gideon”/Flickr)

7. Other stuff to know about language?
A communication system using rules to organize words to transmit information
Grammar – system of rules governing the structure & use of language
Syntax – rules governing combinations of words & phrases: form correct sentences
Semantics – rules determining the meaning of words and sentences
Phonemes and Morphemes: Uh oh!
Lexicon: the words in any given language

8. More on Language Development?
Kids start uttering words between 12 and 18 months of age. Vocabulary limited.
Then we get simple sentences, more lexicon, and overgeneralizing the rules
Some words in some languages are difficult to translate into other languages
How we think or perceive the world affects our language, and our language influences how we think.

9. What about Problem Solving?
Trial and error. Simple. Not much thought required here.
Use an algorithm. Step by step. Follow the recipe.
Use heuristics. Work backwards or break the problem down.
Pitfalls to problem solving include issues like...
I may be stuck in a mental set
I may be limiting my options (functionally fixed)
I may be stuck in an anchoring bias
I may suffer from a hindsight bias
I may also have a representative bias, or an availability heuristic
Anything I can do about all that?
Divergent thinking may help (brainstorming too)

10. Let’s switch gears. Intelligence!
I can learn from experience, acquire knowledge, use resources effectively & adapt to new situations
Spearman posits 2 types: General & Specific
Cattell: crystallized and fluid intelligence
Gardner ups the ante to 8 types (some are skills)
Sternberg says 3 aspects: Analytical, Creative and Practical. Given all this, how do we measure?
Original IQ test by Binet. Imported by Terman (at Stanford) and adapted to give a ‘normed’ result
What about adults? We’ve got the WAIS as well as the WISC and WPPSI (thanks Weschler)

11. FIGURE 7.12
Sternberg’s theory identifies three types of intelligence: practical, creative, and analytical.

12. Are any of these tests any good?
IQ tests need to be reliable, valid, standardized and should generate norms so we know what’s normal and what’s abnormal..
Bell curve!
We should also consider interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence ( when combined are considered emotional intelligence)
Problems? Cultural bias is built in to most tests, and we’ve also got the Flynn effect – regular recalibration is needed.

13. FIGURE 7.15
The majority of people have an IQ score between 85 and 115.

14. What about folks who test out of the norms?
Intellectual Disability (FKA mental retardation)
IQ of 55 to 70 (mild): about 85% of the I.D. population: Can work and live independently
IQ of 40 to 55 (moderate): 10% of the I.D. population. Requires some oversight, okay self care skills
IQ of 25 to 40 (severe): 5% of the I.D. population. Requires regular oversight. Some self care skills
IQ of 25 & below (profound) 1%. Very limited skills. Requires intensive oversight.

15. And at the other end of the spectrum?
An IQ of 130 places me in the gifted range
An IQ of 140 & above labels me a genius
Are these folks geeks or what? Let’s check with Terman’s Termites.
Most were very well adjusted and...
Less prone to mental illness
Above average in height & attractiveness
Often they became skilled leaders
Was this a result of nature, or nurture?

16. How do we answer that question?
Let’s check with some twins (fraternal and identical) raised together or apart.
It helps to have good genes, but no guarantees.
Genetic potential sets a range of reaction, and
Environmental factors influence ups or downs inside that range.
Does race factor in here? Jensen says yup with what he called Level II intelligence. No outside agreement here.
Poverty and various cultural factors account for Jensen’s findings

17. FIGURE 7.16
The correlations of IQs of unrelated versus related persons reared apart or together suggest a genetic component to intelligence.

18. Anything else we ought to consider with respect to cognitive abilities?
What about learning disabilities?
Maybe I really have a problem with reading? Dyslexia.
Or maybe with writing? Dysgraphia.
Or maybe some behavioral factors are kicking in? Kids with ADHD are much more likely to have a learning disability.

19. These written words show variations of the word “teapot” as written by individuals with dyslexia.
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