1. Thinking, Language, & Intelligence
CHAPTER 8
Thinking, Language, & Intelligence
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2. Lecture Overview Thinking Language Intelligence
The Intelligence Controversy
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3. Thinking
Thinking, language, & intelligence are often studied under the larger topic of cognition (mental activities involved in acquiring, storing, retrieving, & using knowledge).
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4. Thinking Cognitive building blocks
Thinking processes are distributed throughout the brain, especially the frontal lobe.
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5. Thinking—Three Components (1. Mental Image)
Mental Image: Mental representation of a previously stored sensory experience, including visual, auditory, etc.
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6. Pause & Reflect: Critical Thinking
Can you explain how the two forms in (a) are the same, & how the two in (b) are different?
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7. Pause & Reflect: Critical Thinking (Solution)
To solve the problem rotate one of the objects in (b). Now compare the rotated image with the other object to see whether they match or not.
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8. Thinking—Three Components (2. Concepts)
Concept: Mental representation of a group or category that shares similar characteristics (e.g., the concept of a river groups together the Nile, Amazon, & Mississippi)
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9. Thinking—Three Components (2. Concepts)
How do we learn concepts? Three ways:
Artificial concepts--formed by logical, specific rules
Natural concepts/prototypes--formed by everyday life experiences
Hierarchies--group concepts into subcategories within broader categories
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10. Thinking—Three Components An Example of Hierarchies
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11. Pause & Reflect: Assessment
How is this child learning the concept of “footsteps”? Is it an artificial concept, a natural concept, or a hierarchy?
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12. Thinking—Three Components (3. Language covered later in chapter)
3. Language: Form of communication using sounds & symbols combined according to specified rules
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13. Thinking—Problem Solving (Three Steps to the Goal)
Step 1: Preparation (identifying, separating, & defining the ultimate goal)
Step 2: Production (generating possible solutions, called hypotheses, by using algorithms &/or heuristics
Step 3: Evaluation (judging hypotheses in Step 2 against the criteria in Step 1)
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14. Thinking—Problem Solving (Three Steps to the Goal) Step 2: Production (Heuristics)
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15. Thinking—Five Key Barriers to Problem Solving
1. Mental Set: Persistence in using strategies that have worked in the past
Using no more than four lines, can you connect all nine dots without lifting your pencil from the paper?
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16. Thinking—Five Key Barriers to Problem Solving (Mental Sets Solution)
To overcome a mental set you must literally “think outside the box”!
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17. Thinking—Five Key Barriers to Problem Solving
2. Functional Fixedness: Thinking of an object as only functioning in its usual way
Can you use these supplies to mount the candle on the wall so that it can be lit in a normal way without toppling over?
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18. Thinking—Five Key Barriers to Problem Solving (Functional Fixedness Solution)
To overcome functional fixedness, think of the matchbox, tacks, & candle all functioning in new ways.
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19. Thinking—Five Key Barriers to Problem Solving
3. Confirmation Bias: Preferring information that confirms preexisting positions or beliefs, while ignoring contradictory evidence
4. Availability Heuristic: Judging the likelihood of an event based on how readily available other instances are in memory
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20. Thinking—Five Key Barriers to Problem Solving
5. Representativeness Heuristic: Estimating the probability of something based on how well the circumstances match (or represent) a previous prototype (e.g., expecting to buy a hamburger when you go to a McDonald’s or similar fast food restaurant)
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21. Pause & Reflect: Assessment
Overestimating the dangers of flying after 9/11 is an example of the _____ heuristic.
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22. Creativity: Ability to produce valued outcomes in a novel way
Thinking—Creativity
Creativity: Ability to produce valued outcomes in a novel way
Three elements of creativity:
Originality
Fluency
Flexibility
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24. Thinking—Creativity
Divergent Thinking: Producing many alternatives or ideas from a single starting point; linked to creativity (e.g., reordering the letters “grevenidt” to form many new words)
Convergent Thinking: Attempting to find one correct answer; linked to conventional, non-creative thinking (e.g., = ?)
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26. Pause & Reflect: Psychology at Work
Psychology offers fun, do-it-yourself tests. Would you like to test your creativity? Arrange 10 coins in this same configuration. By only moving two coins, can you create two rows of 6 coins?
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27. Thinking—Creativity
How did you do? Did you think of this creative solution to the 10 coin problem?
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28. Language: Three Building Blocks
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29. Language Development Prelinguistic Stage: Crying, cooing, & babbling
Linguistic Stage: Single-utterances, telegraphic speech, & learning the rules of grammar
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31. Theories of Language Development
Nature Perspective: Language is an inborn capacity that develops primarily by maturation
Chomsky’s language acquisition device (LAD)
Nurture Perspective: Language develops from a complex system of rewards, punishments, & imitation
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32. Animals & Language
Some of the most successful nonhuman animal language studies have used American Sign Language (ASL).
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33. Pause & Reflect: Assessment
Label the three building blocks of language.
Chomsky believes we possess a _____, which is an inborn ability to learn language.
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34. Intelligence
Intelligence: Global capacity to think rationally, act purposefully, & deal effectively with the environment
Intelligence is a hypothetical, abstract construct.
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35. What Is Intelligence? Historical views of intelligence:
1. Single ability or general factor called “g” (Spearman)
2. Multiple abilities (Thurstone & Guilford)
3. Single ability with two types of g, fluid & crystallized intelligence (Cattell)
4. Multiple abilities (Gardner & Sternberg)
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36. Intelligence Models
Gardner
Sternberg
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39. How Do We Measure Intelligence?
Stanford-Binet & Wechsler most widely used individual intelligence tests. Both tests compute an intelligence quotient (IQ), which compares the deviation of a person’s test score to norms for that person’s age group.
Original version of Stanford-Binet (IQ = MA/CA x 100)
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40. Measuring Intelligence— The Normal Distribution of IQ Scores
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41. Measuring Intelligence— Sample Wechsler Tests
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42. Measuring Intelligence: Three Scientific Standards
Standardization: Establishes norms & uniform procedures for giving & scoring tests
Reliability: Measure of the consistency & stability of test scores over time
Validity: Ability of a test to measure what it was designed to measure
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43. Pause & Reflect: Assessment
Why is it important to recognize that intelligence is a hypothetical, abstract concept?
Briefly explain how reliability differs from validity.
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44. The Intelligence Controversy—Extremes in Intelligence
Mental Retardation: IQs of 70 & below
Mental Giftedness: IQs of 135 & above
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46. The Intelligence Controversy: Explaining Differences
Is it in the brain? All mental activity (including intelligence) results from neural activity in the brain.
Is it genetic or environmental influences? Heredity & environment are important, inseparable factors in intellectual development.
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47. An Example of a Brain Test for Intelligence
Which “leg” of the drawing is longer (a) or (b)? The amount of time individuals require to make a correct choice between quickly flashed items like the ones on this screen may reveal something about their intelligence.
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48. Genetic Vs. Environmental Influences on Intelligence
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49. The Intelligence Controversy: Are IQ Tests Culturally Biased?
Some ethnic groups score differently on IQ tests, but there are numerous contributing factors, including stereotype threat.
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50. Pause & Reflect: Critical Thinking
Given the controversy over IQ tests, do you believe they should be abolished in public schools? Why or why not?
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51. Thinking, Language, & Intelligence
End of CHAPTER 8
Thinking, Language, & Intelligence
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