Thinking Language Intelligence The best way to

Thinking, Language, & Intelligence “The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas. ” Linus Pauling

Thinking What is it? n Manipulation of words & images Cognitive psychology n Studies how the mind w Organizes perceptions w Processes information w Interprets experience

Concept Formation Concept n n A mental grouping of persons, places, ideas, events, or objects that share common properties Priming w When one concept is ‘activated’, others nearby in the network are primed

Concept Formation Prototype Best representative of a concept n Ex: Sport n w Football w Basketball w Golf w Chess w NASCAR

Problem Solving Strategies Trial & error

Problem Solving – Trial & Error Identify problem w Car won’t start Gather information w Outta gas? Dead battery? Try a solution w Not outta gas, so I’ll dry off the wires Evaluate results w Car starts - yeah! w Car doesn’t start - try another solution

Problem Solving Strategies Trial & error Algorithm n A systematic, step-by-step problem-solving strategy, guaranteed to provide a solution Heuristic n n A rule of thumb that allows one to make judgments that are quick but often in error LKCCO Insight

Water Problem

Problems with Problem Solving Mental set n The tendency to use a strategy that has worked in the past Functional Fixedness n A tendency to think of objects only in terms of their usual functions, a limitation that disrupts problem solving

Problems with Problem Solving Confirmation Bias n The inclination to search only for evidence that will verify one’s beliefs Belief Perseverance n n The tendency to cling to beliefs even after they have been discredited Anderson (1980)

Decision Making Try to make best choice from alternatives n n Utility: value of given outcome Probability: likelihood you’ll achieve it Representativeness Heuristic n A tendency to estimate the likelihood of an event in terms of how typical (how similar to the prototype) it seems Availability Heuristic n A tendency to estimate the likelihood of an event in terms of how easily instances of it can be recalled

Language Formal system of communication n Spoken, written, and/or gestures Between 5, 000 and 6, 000 languages, worldwide n Most languages also have many dialects

Properties of Language Semantic n n n There are separate units in a language and these units have meaning Phoneme: basic building block of spoken language Morpheme: smallest unit that carries meaning Generative n Combing language in novel ways Displacement n The property of language that accounts for the capacity to communicate about matters that are not in the here-and-now

Structure of Language Grammar n n The rules of a language Syntax w Specifies how words can be arranged n Semantics w Specifies how meaning is understood & communicated Transformational grammar n Any one thought can be expressed in different ways

Language Acquisition Birth n Cooing, crying, gurgling 4 -6 months n Babbling 12 months n First words 2 yrs & up n n Telegraphic speech Overextension

Language Acquisition No one disputes the stages of language development But there are two main questions in terms of what it all means n n Is language acquisition a product of nature or nurture? Which comes first – language or thought?

…the answers… Is it nature or nurture? n Skinner vs. Chomsky w Skinner: Children learn language the way animals learn mazes w Chomsky: The brain is hard-wired for learning lang. n Critical period w During the first few years of life, we are most receptive to language learning What comes first – thought or language? n Both: sometimes children use words to communicate what they already know and sometimes they form concepts to fit the words they hear

Linguistic Relativity The hypothesis that language determines, or at least influences, the way we think Eyeglasses Dumbbell Hyde, 1984 n n n Wudgemaker story: “he” “she” “he or she” “they” Males equally good regardless Females better in “she” stories, worse in “he” version

Intelligence …the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function… F. Scott Fitzgerald

Intelligence What is intelligence? n n The capacity to learn from experience and adapt successfully to one’s environment Reflects how well we function Francis Galton n n Believed that intelligence was inherited Based intelligence on: w Muscular strength w Size of your head w Speed at reacting to signals w Your ability to detect slight differences

Binet-Simon & Stanford-Binet Scales Binet-Simon scale (1905) n Assigned mental age based on # items correct Stanford-Binet n Lewis Terman at Stanford (1916) n Added items suitable to adults n Converted scale to a single score n IQ = mental age x 100 chronological age w This doesn’t work for adults & was adjusted

The Wechsler Scales David Weschler n Intelligence is w The global capacity to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with the environment n n IQ ratio breaks down as we get older Deviation IQ w Compares scores to the mean of peer group n WAIS w Measures intelligence for late adolescence through adulthood n Two parts: verbal & performance subtests

Issues to Consider in IQ Testing Standardization n The procedure by which existing norms are used to interpret an individual’s test score

Distribution of IQ scores 68% Mental Retardation Mentally Gifted 95% 70 85 100 115 130

Issues to Consider in IQ Testing Standardization n The procedure by which existing norms are used to interpret an individual’s test score Reliability n Degree to which test gives consistent results Validity n Does the test measure what it claims to measure

Factor Theories of Intelligence Spearman’s G factor (1904) n n Proposed that general intelligence (g) underlies all mental abilities Factor analysis w A statistical technique used to identify clusters of test items that correlate with another Thurstone’s Primary Mental Abilities n 7 factors which correlate but not enough to represent 1 underlying factor w Verbal comprehension, word fluency, number facility (math), associative memory, perceptual speed for stimulus recognition, reasoning, and spatial visualization

Factor Theories of Intelligence Triarchic theory of intelligence n n Robert Sternberg Analytical w The mental steps of ‘components’ used to solve problems w This is what traditional IQ tests assess n Creative w Intellectual and motivational processes that lead to novel solutions, ideas, artistic forms, or products n Practical w The ability to size up new situations and adapt to real -life demands

Gardner’s ‘Frames of Mind’ Multiple intelligences n There are seven types of intelligence w Linguistic: verbal aptitude w Logical-mathematical: mathematical aptitude w Spatial: ability to visualize objects w Musical: ability to appreciate the tonal qualities of sound, compose, and play w Bodily-kinesthetic: ability to control movement w Interpersonal: ability to understand people w Intrapersonal: ability to understand oneself

The Nature & Nurture Debate Nature’s influence on IQ n n n Identical twins reared together are more similar than fraternal twins reared together Siblings who grow up together are more similar than unrelated individuals who grow up in the same house Children are more similar to their biological parents than to adoptive parents Nurture’s influence on IQ n n Prenatal care, exposure to alcohol and other toxins, birth complications, malnutrition in the first few months of life, intellectual stimulation at home, stress, highquality education, the amount of time spent in school Head Start programs (and those like it)

Extremes in Intelligence Mental retardation n n IQ below 70 Difficulties with: w Self-care w School / work w Social relationships n Four categories w Mild, Moderate, Severe, Profound

Causes of Mental Retardation Cultural-familial w Inadequate mental stimulation w Poor diet, little or no medical care Genetic defects w Down syndrome Brain damage w Fetal alcohol syndrome w Hypoxia

Mental Giftedness IQ above 130 MENSA n Limits membership to top 2% of population Sidis Fallacy n Contrary to popular belief, geniuses don’t tend to “burn out” at early age