Thinking and Intelligence

Thinking and Intelligence

OpenStax Psychology Resource

What is cognition?

• Cognitive psychology is the study of cognition,

• Cognition is the brain’s ability to think, perceive, plan, analyze, and remember.

• Concepts and their corresponding prototypes help us quickly organize our thinking by creating categories into which we can sort new information.

Multiple Choice

The brain’s ability to think, perceive, plan, analyze, and remember.

• intelligence

• cognition

• perception

• sensation

Schemata

• Clusters of related concepts.

• Some schemata involve routines of thought and behavior, and these help us function properly in various situations without having to “think twice” about them.

• Schemata show up in social situations and routines of daily behavior.

Multiple Choice

Clusters of related concepts.

• congition

• thinking

• schemata

• routines

Language

• Communication system that has both a lexicon and a system of grammar.

• Language acquisition occurs naturally and effortlessly during the early stages of life, and this acquisition occurs in a predictable sequence for individuals around the world.

• Language has a strong influence on thought, and the concept of how language may influence cognition remains an area of study and debate in psychology.

Multiple Choice

This occurs naturally and effortlessly in early stages of life.

• intelligence

• cognition

• speech

• language acquisition

Problem Solving

• Many different strategies exist for solving problems.

• Typical strategies include trial and error, applying algorithms, and using heuristics.

• To solve a large, complicated problem, it often helps to break the problem into smaller steps that can be accomplished individually, leading to an overall solution.

• Roadblocks to problem solving include a mental set, functional fixedness, and various biases that can cloud decision making skills.

Multiple Select

Typical problem solving techniques include

• trial and error

• heuristics

• road blocks

• algorithms

Intelligence and creativity

• Intelligence is a complex characteristic of cognition. 

• Sternberg generated his triarchic theory of intelligence.

• Gardner posits that intelligence is comprised of many factors.

• Still others focus on the importance of emotional intelligence.

• Creativity seems to be a facet of intelligence, but it is extremely difficult to measure objectively.

Measures of Intelligence

• Intelligence tests began in earnest with Binet.

• Wechsler later developed intelligence tests that are still in use today: the WAIS-IV and WISC-V.

• The Bell curve shows the range of scores that encompass average intelligence as well as standard deviations.

Multiple Choice

Intelligence tests are accurate and reliable for all people.

• true

• false

Source of Intelligence

• Genetics and environment affect intelligence and the challenges of certain learning disabilities.

• The intelligence levels of all individuals seem to benefit from rich stimulation in their early environments.

• Highly intelligent individuals, however, may have a built-in resiliency that allows them to overcome difficult obstacles in their upbringing.

Multiple Choice

Nature and nurture impact intelligence.

• True

• False

Learning Disabilities

• Learning disabilities can cause major challenges for children who are learning to read and write.

• Unlike developmental disabilities, learning disabilities are strictly neurological in nature and are not related to intelligence levels.

• Students with dyslexia, for example, may have extreme difficulty learning to read, but their intelligence levels are typically average or above average.