Chapter 7 - Cognition and language

A mental representation of a familiar sequence of activity

Tendency to pay more attention to evidence in support of ones hypothesis than to evidence that refutes that hypotheses

The manipulation of mental representations

Systematic procedure that cannot fail to produce a correct solution to a problem if a solution exists

The process of following a set of rigorous procedures for reaching valid conclusions

Tendency to think about familiar objects in familiar ways that may prevent using them in other ways

A category of objects, events or ideas that have common properties

Mental representations (generalisations) of categories of objects, events and people

The capacity to produce original solutions or novel compositions

An argument made up of two propositions, called premises, and a conclusion based on those premises

A small, temporary change in EEG voltage in the brain that is caused by some stimulus

Ability to apply rules of logic and what one knows about the world to narrow down the possible solutions to a problem

A mental shortcut that involves basing judgements on existing information

A mental representation of the environment

The set of rules that govern the formation of phrases and sentences in a language

A member of a natural concept that possesses all or most of its characteristic features

A subjective measure of values

The total benefit to be expected if a decision were to be repeated several times

The field that studies how to program computers to imitate the products of human perception, understanding and thought

Process of evaluating a conclusion, theory or course of action on the basis of the believability of evidence

A time-saving mental shortcut used in reasoning

A stage of language development during which children tend to use one word at a time

Symbols and a set of rules for combining them that provide a vehicle for communication

A system of formulas for drawing valid conclusions

A set of rules combining the words used in a given language

The process where people generate and evaluate arguments and reach conclusions about them

Tendency for old patterns of problem solving to persist, even when they might not be the best ones available

The ability to generate many different solutions to a problem

Time between the presentation of a stimulus and an overt response to it

An abstract representation of the underlying meaning of a given sentence

The first sounds infants make that resemble speech

Rules governing the meaning of words and sentences

Study of mental processes where the info we receive from the enviro is modified, stored, retrieved, used & communicated

A concept that has no fixed set of defining features but has a set of characteristic features

The smallest unit of language that has meaning

The smallest unit of sound that affects the meaning of speech

A representation of particular situations or arrangements of objects that guides our interaction with them

A mental representation of visual information

A mental representation of the relationship between concepts

A mental shortcut where judgements are based on information that is most easily brought to mind

The order in which words are arranged in sentences

Mental shortcut that judges if something belongs in a given class on the basis of its similarity to others in that class

Mechanisms for receiving information, representing it with symbols, and manipulating it