Psych. Chapters 9-11
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- Concept
- -mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people
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Prototype
2 -
-mental image or best example of a category
-matching new items to the prototype provides a quick and easy method for including items in a category (as when comparing feathered creatures to a prototypical bird, such as a robin) -
Algorithm
2 -
 methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem
 contrasts with the usually speedier–but also more error-prone--use of heuristics -
Heuristic
3 -
 simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgments and solve problems efficiently
 usually speedier than algorithms
 more error-prone than algorithms -
Insight
2 -
 sudden and often novel realization of the solution to a problem
 contrasts with strategy-based solutions - Confirmation Bias
-  tendency to search for information that confirms one’s preconceptions
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Fixation
2 -
 inability to see a problem from a new perspective
 impediment to problem solving -
Representativeness Heuristic
2 -
 judging the likelihood of things in terms of how well they seem to represent, or match, particular prototypes
 may lead one to ignore other relevant information -
Availability Heuristic
3 -
 estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory
 if instances come readily to mind (perhaps because of their vividness), we presume such events are common
 Example: airplane crash -
Overconfidence
2 -
 tendency to be more confident than correct
 tendency to overestimate the accuracy of one’s beliefs and judgments -
Framing
2 -
 the way an issue is posed
 how an issue is framed can significantly affect decisions and judgments - Belief Perseverance
-  clinging to one’s initial conceptions after the basis on which they were formed has been discredited
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Origins of Intelligence Testing
3 -
 Mental Age
 Stanford-Binet
 Intelligence Quotient (IQ) -
Intelligence Quotient (IQ)
2 -
 defined originally the ratio of mental age (ma) to chronological age (ca) multiplied by 100
 on contemporary tests, the average performance for a given age is assigned a score of 100 - Stanford-Binet
-  the widely used American revision of Binet’s original intelligence test
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Mental Age
2 -
 a measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet
 chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance -
General Intelligence (g)
2 -
 factor that Spearman and others believed underlies specific mental abilities
 measured by every task on an intelligence test -
Multiple Intelligences
3 -
 Savant Syndrome
 Social Intelligence
 Emotional Intelligence - Savant Syndrome
-  condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill
- Social Intelligence
-  the know-how involved in comprehending social situations and managing oneself successfully
- Emotional Intelligence
-  ability to perceive, express, understand, and regulate emotions
- Intelligence & Creativity
-  the ability to produce novel and valuable ideas
-
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)
2 and 2 -
 most widely used intelligence test
 subtests
**verbal
**performance (nonverbal) -
Aptitude Test
2 -
 a test designed to predict a person’s future performance
 aptitude is the capacity to learn - Achievement Test
-  a test designed to assess what a person has learned
-
Genetic Influences
2 and 2 -
 The most genetically similar people have the most similar scores
 Heritability
**the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes
**variability depends on range of populations and environments studied -
Environmental Influences
2 and 1 -
 The Schooling Effect
Group Differences
 Stereotype Threat
**A self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype -
Motivation
3 -
-the study of "whys" of behavior---
-The factors that direct and energize behavior of humans and other organisms
-a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior - Instinct theories
- -there is some inborn, genetic component to motivation
- Drive-Reduction Theory
- -the idea that a physiological need creates an aroused tension state that motivates an organism to satisfy the need
- drive
- -A motivational tension, or arousal, that energizes behavior in order to fulfill a need
- motives
- -The desired goals that underlie behavior
- homeostasis
- -body’s tendency to maintain a steady balanced or constant internal state
- Define incentive, and the Incentive theory
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-motivation results from the "pull" of external environmental stimuli.
-a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior -
Maslow’s Hierarchy: Ordering Motivational Needs
3 -
-begins at the base with physiological needs that must first be satisfied
then higher-level
-safety needs become active
-then psychological needs become active - The 5 needs in order by Maslow:
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-Physiological (hunger & thirst)
-Safety
-Belongingness & love
-Esteem
-Self actualization (live up to one's fullest potential) - Anorexia Nervosa symptoms
- -when a normal-weight person diets and becomes significantly (>15%) underweight, yet, still feeling fat, continues to starve
- Bulimia Nervosa symptoms
- -disorder characterized by episodes of overeating, usually of high-calorie foods, followed by vomiting, laxative use, fasting, or excessive exercise
- Achievement Motivation
-
-Achievement involves the need for success, for doing better than others, and for mastering challenging tasks.
-Research with intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation shows that extrinsic rewards can lower interest and achievement motivation. - intrinsic motivation
- -Motivation by which people participate in an activity for their own enjoyment, not for the reward it will get them
- extrinsic motivation
- -Motivation by which people participate in an activity for a tangible reward
- 3 components of Emotion
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-physiological arousal
-expressive behaviors
-conscious experience - Schachter’s Two-Factor Theory of Emotion
- -To experience emotion one must: be physically aroused; cognitively label the arousal
- Catharsis hypothesis
- -“releasing†aggressive energy (through action or fantasy) relieves aggressive urges
- General Adaptation Syndrome
- -Selye’s concept of the body’s adaptive response to stress in three stages
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Health consequences of Catasrophes, Significant Life changes, and Daily hassles
2 -
-especially stressful when appraised as negative and uncontrollable
-Heart disease - Type A personality
- -Friedman and Rosenman’s term for competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people
- Type B personality
- -Friedman and Rosenman’s term for easygoing, relaxed people
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Coping with stress
3 -
-Aerobic Exercise
-Biofeedback
-Spirituality