Language
What is the definition of language?
The principle method of human communication, consisting of words used in a structural, conventional way conveyed verbally or nonverbally.
What is the definition of decision making?
the cognitive process resulting in a course of action among several possibilities, based on gathering information and assessing alternative possibilities.
What is the difference between decision making and problem solving
Decision Making: Evaluation of alternative courses of action Problem Solving: Identification of courses of action
Define Intelligence
Intelligence: The ability to learn from experience, solve problems and use knowledge to adapt to new situations
What theorist coined the Paradox of Choice?
Barry Schwartz, 2004
What are the three main theories of language acquisition?
biological, environmental, and epigenetic
Define inductive & deductive reasoning
Inductive reasoning is considered bottom-up reasoning, as it starts with specific instances and then moves onto broader generalizations.
Deductive reasoning is often referred to as top-down reasoning, as it goes from a generalization to a specific instance.
Explain the 'Problem Space Theory' and it's relevant parts
in order to study problem solving, you needed to examine more than just the observable behavior of the individual solving the problem.
One must also take into consideration their internal representation of the problem, often called the 'problem space' Which is broken down into 3 parts:
• Initial State: the current situation (defining the problem)
• Goal State: the desired objective
• Obstacles: limitations, concerns, and consequences of choices
They created the 'Binet-Simon' scale, which was a test examining various aspects of cognition, such as memory, attention, problem-solving, and decision-making, with each task representing a 'mental age' at which the child performed.
What theorists coined 'The Problem Space'
(bonus for what year)
Newell & Simon (1972)
Which theorist felt we are born with an innate readiness to learn grammatical rules?
What are system 1 and system 2 thinking?
System 1 thinking:
Characteristics:
Fast and effortless
Automatic and involuntary
Based on intuition, impressions, gut feelings
Uses mental shortcuts (heuristics)
Operates continuously in the background
Examples:
Recognizing a face
Making a quick judgment (“that seems risky”)
Strengths: efficient, good for routine tasks
Weaknesses: prone to biases and errors
System 2 Thinking (Slow, Deliberate)
Also called: analytical, controlled, reflective thinking.
Characteristics:
Slow and effortful, and Logical, rule-based, analytical
Examples:
Solving a math problem
Evaluating arguments
Strengths: accurate, rational, detail-oriented
Weaknesses: mentally taxing, slow, can’t run constantly
insight problems cause impasses because they mislead problem solvers into constructing inappropriate initial representations
Constraint relaxation:
• operates by assuming that the person is stuck on the problem due to constraints of the rules of the problem.
• Therefore, the individual must 'relax' on the rules of the problem, allowing for the solution to become clear.
Chunk decomposition:
• Brain is automatically grouping information into chunks (even if it is weakly associated).
• Break down these groupings into their initial parts, and then regroup or restructure accordingly.
• Things can be grouped loosely or tightly.
g factor': which is the an individuals overall mental ability, or general intelligence. This factor would influence a person's overall performance on an IQ test
s factor: task-specific, individual performing exceptionally well on items unique to a specific test (such as math or music).
What theorist felt that intelligence was based on heritability?
Francis Galton
What is the Picture Word Inductive Model?
A visual teaching strategy that helps students add words to what they can see. Typically starts by presenting a picture and labelling what they can see, then builds on those labels to generate sentences and eventually paragraphs, moving from more concrete to abstract thought.
What is the Paradox of Choice
Paradox of choice: A negative consequence of having too many choices - an overabundance of options can actually lead to anxiety, lack of decision making and dissatisfaction
What is an 'ill-defined' problem, and what is a 'well-defined' problem? Give an example of each.
Ill-defined Problem: Problems that do not have clear goals, solution paths or expected solutions (vague, unclear, uncertain) a. Example: How do we dispose of nuclear waste safely? (unclear) b. Example: What really happened during 9-11? (vague) c. Example: How much water does a human need to be healthy? (complex)
Well-defined Problem: Problems that have specific goals, clear solution paths or expected solutions (logical, clear, systematic) a. Example: How do we get from college campus to Dun Laoghaire harbour? (Spatial logic) b. Example: What objectives do I need to complete in order to be eligible for graduation? (Systematic) c. Example: If I want to drink 2L of water a day, how many times should I refill my water bottle during the day? (Measured)
How are psychometric theories of intelligence different than cognitive theories of intelligence?
Psychometric theories are concerned with measuring and quantifying
Cognitive theories are concerned with how the process of intelligence happens, rather than quantifying.
Who came up with the 'Intelligence Quotient"
William Stern
Define the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis and give a relevant example.
defintion: language shapes our perception of the world - using the wrong word in a particular language would have consequences.
Examples:
- Pacific Islanders: Many different expressions for relating to fish because it is important to the culture - other cultures might not comprehend such emotions
- Native Hopi: No terms for past, present and future - time management impossible
Define Elimination by Aspects
Explain the difference between Expert vs. Novice Problem Solving.
• An expert tends to detect and identify problem patterns more readily, based on experience - their intuition in problem solving is often more successful than their counterparts (depth problem solving)
• While logical, a novice often fails to notice features and meaningful connections with the information that goes beyond face-value (surface level problems)
How do fluid and crystallized intelligence function, and how are they impacted by time?
Crystallized intelligence is the knowledge we accumulate over time via prior experience, or general facts. Accumulated knowledge we can recall.
Fluid intelligence is the adaptability to new situations or problems (via reasoning, pattern-recognition, or problem-solving skills).
Crystallized intelligence tended to be higher in older adults, when compared with young adults. Whereas fluid intelligence was higher in younger adults, rather than older adults.
Fluid intelligence (or gf) was noted to peak around the mid-20s, with a gradual decline over time.
Howard Gardener