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Thinking, Language, & Intelligence What is intelligence? The mental abilities that enable one to adapt to, shape or select one’s environment Ability to deal with novel situations Ability to judge, comprehend, and reason Ability to understand and deal w/ people objects, & symbols Ability to act purposefully, think rationally, and deal effectively w/ the environment General vs. Specific Intelligence Person #1 displayed general intelligence through problem solving intelligence; spearman called this “g” Person #2 had specific o Includes mechanical, logical, arithmetical &spatial intelligence Thurstone Critiqued spearman’s theory of “g” and proposed that intelligence is made up of primary mental abilities o Word fluency; verbal comp; spatial ability; perceptual speed; numerical ability; inductive reasoning; memory Problem solving Algorithms – systematic ways of solving problems; computers use algorithms to solve problems Heuristics – simple thinking strategies that allow us to make judgments & solve problems effectively Insight – the sudden “aha” moments when the solution to a problem becomes clear Problems with Problem Solving Confirmation Bias – interpret new information in a way that confirms preconceptions Fixation – thinking an object as only playing a certain role Representative Heuristic – judging things based on how well they represent or match a particular prototype o Where commonality between objects of similar appearance is assumed Overconfidence Bias – tendency to be more confident in one’s behavior, attributes, and physical characteristics than should be o Ex. Credit cards, driving, investments Exaggerated fear – ex. “fear of flying” Gardner Proposed there was multiple intelligences
GARDNER’S 8 INTELLIGENCES CHART!
Speculates about 9th^ – existential intelligence o The ability to ponder about question of life, death & existence Robert Sternberg 3 intelligences o Analytical – assessed by intelligence tests o Creative – intelligence that makes us adapt to novel situations, generating novel ideas o Practical – intelligence required for everyday tasks Emotional Intelligence Components o Perceive emotion – recognize emotion in faces, music, and stories o Understand emotion – predict emotion & how they change/blend o Manage emotion – express emotion in different situations Creativity Ability to produce ideas that are novel and valuable o Expertise – well developed knowledge base o Imaginative thinking – see things in novel ways o Adventuresome personality – seeks new experiences rather than following the pack o Intrinsic motivation – motivated to be creative from w/in o Creative environment – creativity blooms in supportive environment
Asians outperform north America on math achievement tests White and black infants tend to score equally Different eras and ethnic groups have experienced periods of remarkable achievement Gender Similarities and Differences Girls – better spellers, verbally fluent, large vocabulary, better at locating objects, and more sensitive to taste, touch, and color; detect emotions easily Boys – outnumber in underachievement, outnumber at math problem solving, but underperform at math computation Motivation Need or desire that energizes and directs behavior Instinct is a complex behavior that has a fixed pattern throughout a species and be unlearned Drive Reduction theory Reduce physiological drives Hunger, thirst (physiological) also have a psychological component Optimum arousal – we are motivated to reach an optimum level of arousal MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS! Sex/Gender Sex – our biological assignment or classification Gender – the concept of maleness and masculinity or femaleness and feminity Transgender – umbrella term; expressing gender not appropriate based on biological sex – not determined by intimate partner choices Intersex – doctor decides sex; ambiguous Transsexual – people who go through gender changing surgery Lesbian/Gay men – individuals whose primary emotional, erotic and relational preferences are same sex; designation as lesbian/gay refers to the sex of one’s intimate partner choices, not gender expression which may take a variety of forms Origins of Sexual Orientation Homosexuality is more likely to be based on biological factors like differing brain centers, genetics, parental hormone exposure, than environmental factors Animals Homosexuality A # of animal species are devoted to same-sex partners, suggesting that homosexuality exists in animal world LBGTQ?
Prevalence Scales o Kinsey – interviewed males o Klein – expanded on Kinsey’s view to include time/psychological elements Evaluated sexual attraction, fantasies, emotional preference, social, lifestyle and sexual identity o Continuum model vs. homo/heterosexuality Kinsey scale o Goes from 0- 0=exclusively heterosexual 6=exclusively homosexual o Asked about behavior in past (up to a yr), present and ideal Identity Development Stages occur at different times for men and women Coming out is one external event in a much longer psychological process Up until 1973 – homosexuals had mental disorder in DSM Transgender is still in DSM Conversion therapy – attempts to make people straight Religious point of view Stages of coming out – Cass
- Identity confusion (puberty)
- Identity comparison
- Identity tolerance
- Identity acceptance
- Identity pride
- Identity synthesis Motivation at Work The healthy life is filled by love and work – Freud Attitudes towards work o Job – necessary to make $$ o Career – opportunity to advance from 1 position to another o Calling – fulfilling a socially useful activity Flow and Rewards o Experience between no work and a lot of work; flow marks immersion into ones work o People who “flow” in their work are less driven by extrinsic rewards (money, praise, promotion) and more by intrinsic reward
Reinforcement of employee for better performance o Skinner Devised a daily discipline schedule which led him to become 20th^ century most influential psychologist o Achievement motivation – desire for significant accomplishment Satisfaction and Engagement o What is expected o Feels need to work o Feels fulfilled at work o Opportunities to do the best o Thinks to be significant o Opportunities to learn Challenging goals o Motivate people to higher achievement levels especially if there is feedback Leadership o Task – setting standards and focusing goals o Social – mediating conflicts and building achieving teams
Emotion
5 Basic Emotions
- Fear
- Anger
- Disgust
- Surprise
- Happiness/Joy Experiencing Emotions Physiological reactions precede emotions (James-Lang Theory) Physiological reactions happen at the same time as your emotions (Cannon Bard Theory) Your physiological reactions happen along with a cognitive label which precede your emotions (Schachter-Singer Two-Factor Theory) Cognitive Appraisal of Emotion Lazarus believes that one must first make a cognitive appraisal of a situation o Primary appraisal – a new person is benign/positive, irrelevant or stressful o Secondary appraisal – what to do about the situation People must interact with their environment People then call upon coping resources to determine how to handle the situation Research on Emotions Also agree on: -Shame -Sadness Others add: -Contempt -Interest -Guilt -Acceptance -Distress -Pride
Need for affect was associated with o Extraversion o Agreeableness o Openness to experience o Negatively associated w/ neuroticism o Need for cognition o More open to uncertainty o More extreme attitudes o More willing to view emotional films Emotional Changes throughout the day Positive emotions peak mid-day (Watson 2000) based on reports from 150 people Happiness When we feel happier, we are more likely to help others – feel-good, do-good phenomenon (Salovey 1990) People tend to be resilient and rebound after a bad day People with chronic illness tend to feel better than they expected after a shorter duration than expected and have near normal moment to moment reports of happiness Brickman, Coates and Janoff-Bulman Interviewed lottery winners, controls and paralyzed accident victims Winners rated 7 ordinary activities as less pleasurable than controls o Hearing a joke, buying clothes Lottery winners and controls were not significantly different in how happy they were now, how happy they were before winning (or 6 months ago for controls) and how happy they expected to be Accident victims rated their past as happier than controls (nostalgia effect) but didn’t differ in predicted future happiness Happy people… Have high self esteem (in individualistic cultures) Optimistic, outgoing and agreeable Make close friendships or a satisfying marriage Have work and leisure that engage their skills Have a meaningful religious faith Sleep well and exercise Happiness isn’t related to… Age
Vocab Schemas – way to organize info Assimilate – interpreting new experience in terms of existing schema Accommodate – changing schema to incorporate new info Sensorimotor Stage (birth to age 2) Experiencing the world through senses and actions Looking, touching, mouthing and grasping Object permanence Stranger anxiety Preoperational Stage (age 2 to Age 6/7) Representing things with words and images; use intuitive rather than logical reasoning Pretend play Egocentrism Language development Concrete Operational (Age 7 to 11) Thinking logically about concrete events; grasping concrete analogies and performing arithmetical operations Conservation Mathematical transformations Formal Operational (age 12-adulthood) Abstract reasoning Abstract logic Potential for mature moral reasoning Moral Development Kohlberg’s Theory of moral development Heinz Dilemma
- Breaking into store to steal drug and save wife’s life Stages of moral development
- Obedience
- Self interest
- Conformity
- Law & Order
- Human Rights
- Universal Human Ethics
Kohlberg’s Stages Preconventional morality o Before age 9; morality of self interest, obey to avoid punishment/gain reward o Stage 1 & 2 Conventional Morality o Early adolescence; care for others, uphold laws and social values because they are laws and rules o Stage 3 & 4 Post conventional Morality o Some people in adulthood; affirms peoples agreed-upon rights or follows personal ethical principals o Stage 5 & 6 Gilligan’s Critique Boys were ranked “higher” than girls Only conducted with boys Responses normed by boys Dilemma easier for boys to relate to Preconventional morality – concern for oneself and survival Conventional – concerns for ones responsibilities, self sacrifice and caring for others Post conventional – concerns for responsibilities to others and to oneself; self and others as interdependent Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development Each stage has its own psychosocial “crisis” that needs resolution Erikson (1963) Stage 1 Trust VS mistrust Infancy – up to 1 yr If needs are dependably met, infants develop basic trust Important event: feeding Stage 2 Autonomy VS shame and doubt Toddler – age 1- Toddlers learn to exercise their will and do things for themselves or the doubt their own abilities Task: toilet training
The strong affectionate ties we have with special people in our lives that leads us to feel pleasure when we interact with them and to be comforted by their nearness during time of stress Harlow’s monkeys 1950s Studied monkeys with wire mesh “mothers” Attachment is not solely based on feeding Secure base Origins of attachment Harlow (1971) showed that infants bond with surrogate mothers because of bodily contact and not nourishment John Bowlby Attachment in infant-caregivers Attachment research in adults Secure base Proximity maintenance Safe haven Separation distress Mary Ainsworth Studied attachment differences by observing mother-infant pairs during their first 6 months Sensitive/responsive mothers had infants with “secure” attachment Insensitive/unresponsive mothers had infants with “insecure” attachment Anxious attachment Ambivalent attachment – doesn’t care if mother is there or not Strange situation Parent and baby in experiment room together (secure base) Stranger enters and talks to parent (unfamiliar adult) Parents leaves room; stranger responds to baby (separation anxiety) Parent returns and comforts baby (reunion) Attachment differences Placed in a strange situation 60% children express secure attachment; 30% show insecure Child rearing practices Authoritarian – parents impose rules and expect obedience Permissive – parents submit to children’s demands
Authoritative – parents are demanding but responsive to their children
