1. Thought and Language
Chapter 11

2. Thinking Definition: altering info stored in memory to create new info
The manipulation of symbols

3. Building Blocks Images and symbols:
mental pictures or representations
allow us to use concrete forms to represent complex and abstract ideas
pie chart
Statue of Liberty
United States– Uncle Sam

4. Building Blocks Concepts: Prototypes:
category for classifying objects, people, and experiences
can help us to create hierarchies of thought
Prototypes:
a mental model containing the most typical features of a concept ----i.e. bird ( feathers, wings, etc. )

5. Kinds of Thinking Convergent: to reach a goal
Process to find the best solution to a problem
Divergent: free flow of ideas to explore possible solutions
Brainstorm!
Metacognition:
Understanding thought processes
Thinking about a strategy

6. Problem Solving Strategies
Algorithms: a step by step method of problem solving that guarantees a correct solution
Heuristics: rule of thumb that simplify problem solving but does not guarantee a solution

7. Obstacles to Problem Solving
functional fixedness
mental sets (habits)
confirmation bias/ assumptions
Irrelevant or misleading Information (bad intel)

8. Inference Inductive Thinking Deductive Thinking
moves from specific details and observations (typically of nature) to the more general underlying principles or process that explains them
typically moves from general truths to specific conclusions. It opens with an expansive explanation (statements known or believed to be true) and continues with predictions for specific observations supporting it.

9. Building Blocks of Thoughts
Language:
A system of communication that combines sounds, gestures, or symbols to share ideas

10. “PARTS” Phonemes: The basic sounds Distinguish one word from another
Bat, cat, hat, mat, rat, vat…

11. “PARTS”
Morphemes:
The smallest, meaningful units of speech, such as simple words
prefixes, suffixes, or syllabic sounds that can be grouped together to create words
Work (1) vs. work*ing (2)

12. “Parts”
Syntax: the rules for arranging words into grammatical sentences
Semantics: assigning meaning to words
I.e. does the word power imply something positive, negative, or neutral