Thinking, Language and Concepts

mental image

concept

formal concept

natural concept

prototype

Kosslyn et. al. (1978) scanning of mental images

Wohlschlager & Wohlschlager (1998)—Two these threes are backward. Which ones?

Decision-Making StrategiesSingle-feature model

Additive model

Elimination by aspects model

Availability heuristic—readily available

Representativeness heuristic—prototype

• In another study, subjects were asked, “If a random word is taken from an English text, is it more likely that the word starts with a K, or that K is the third letter?” Most English-speaking people could immediately think of many words that begin with the letter "K" (kangaroo, kitchen, kale), but it would take a more concentrated effort to think of any words where "K" is the third letter (acknowledge). Results indicated that participants overestimated the number of words that began with the letter “K”, but underestimated the number of words that had “K” as the third letter. Researchers concluded that people answer questions like these by comparing the availability of the two categories and assessing how easily they can recall these instances. In other words, it is easier to think of words that begin with "K", than words with "K" as the third letter. Thus, people judge words beginning with a "K" to be a more common occurrence. In reality, however, a typical text contains twice as many words that have "K" as the third letter than "K" as the first letter. Additionally, there are three times as many words that have the letter "K" in the third position, as have it in the first position.[1]

• Tversky, A; Kahneman (1973). "Availability: A heuristic for judging frequency and probability". Cognitive Psychology 5 (1): 207–233. doi:10.1016/0010-0285(73)90033-9.

Problem-Solving Strategies

Trial and error

Algorithm

Heuristicavailabilityrepresentativeness

Insight

Intuition

Functional fixednessMental set

Belief-bias effect—accept and reject or ignore

Confirmation bias—actively search

Fallacy of positive instances—remember

Overestimation effect—overestimate the rarity

Why does the human brain do this?

Sheena Iyengar on the art of choosing | Video on TED.com: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/sheena_iyengar_on_the_art_of_choosing.html

Dan Gilbert on our mistaken expectations | Video on TED.com: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/dan_gilbert_researches_happiness.html

Dan Ariely asks, Are we in control of our own decisions? | Video on TED.com: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/dan_ariely_asks_are_we_in_control_of_our_own_decisions.html

Barry Schwartz on the paradox of choice | Video on TED.com: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice.html

Language

SymbolicArbitrarySharedStructured and rule governed—syntaxCreative and generativeAllows for displacement

Does language influence thought, or does thought influence language?

Reinforces or minimizes stereotypesPronoun usageMasculine and feminine prescriptionsSapir-Whorf linguistic relativity hypothesis

Do animals have language? How is it similar and different from ours?

Bonobo chimpanzee (Matata), infant son (Kanzi)

Measuring Intelligence

Alfred Binet-mental age

Lewis Terman—IQ (mental age/actual age X 100)

Army Alpha (written) and Army Beta (oral) test

David Wechsler—WAIS, WISC

Achievement test and aptitude test

Standardization—norms, normal curve/distribution, reliability, validity

Nature of Intelligence

Spearman—g factorThurstone—pattern of seven mental abilitiesGardner—multiple intelligencesSternberg—triarchic theory (analytic, creative, practical)

With which theorist/theory do you most agree? Why?Is intelligence nature or nurture informed?

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences

McGue et. al, 1993

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotype_threat

The Effects of Stereotype Threat on the Standardized Test Performance of College Students, J. Aronson, C.M. Steele, M.F. Salinas, M.J. Lustina - Readings About the Social Animal, 8th edition, E. Aronson