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achievement test  A test designed to determine a person's level of knowledge in a given subject area
algorithm  A rule which, if applied appropriately, guarantees a solution to a problem
aptitude test  A test designed to predict a person's ability in a particular area or line of work
babble  Speech-like but meaningless sounds made by children from the ages of around 3 months through 1 year
cognitive psychology  The branch of psychology that focuses on the study of cognition
concepts  Categorizations of objects, events, or people that share common properties
convergent thinking  The ability to produce responses that are based primarily on knowledge and logic
creativity  The combining of responses or ideas in novel ways
crystallized intelligence  The accumulation of information, skills, and strategies learned through experience and that can be applied in problem-solving situations
culture-fair IQ test  A test that does not discriminate against members of any minority group
culture-fair IQ test  A test that does not discriminate against members of any minority group
divergent thinking  The ability to generate unusual, yet nonetheless appropriate, responses to problems or questions
emotional intelligence  The set of skills that underlie the accurate assessment, evaluation, expression, and regulation of emotions
emotional intelligence  The set of skills that underlie the accurate assessment, evaluation, expression, and regulation of emotions
fluid intelligence  Intelligence that reflects information processing capabilities, reasoning, and memory
functional fixedness  The tendency to think of an object only in terms of its typical use
g or g-factor  The single, general factor formental ability, assumed to underlie intelligence in some early theories of intelligence
grammar  The system of rules that determine how our thoughts can be expressed
heritability  A measure of the degree to which a characteristic is related to genetic, inherited factors
heuristic  A cognitive shortcut that may lead to a solution
insight  A sudden awareness of the relationships among various elements that had previously appeared to be independent of one another
intellectually gifted  Two to 4 percent of the population who have IQ scores greater than 130
intelligence quotient (IQ)  A score that takes into account an individual's mental and chronological ages
intelligence tests  Tests devised to identify a person's level of intelligence
intelligence  The capacity to understand the world, think rationally, and use resources effectively when faced with challenges
language-acquisition device  A neural system of the brain hypothesized to permit understanding of language
language  The communication of information through symbols arranged according to systematic rules
learning-theory approach  The theory suggesting that language acquisition follows the principles of reinforcement and conditioning
means-ends analysis  Repeated testing for differences between the desired outcome and what currently exists
mental age  The average age of individuals who achieve a particular level of performance on a test
mental images  Representations in the mind that resemble the object or event being represented
mental retardation  Identified by significantly below-average intellectual functioning accompanied by limitations in at least two areas of adaptive functioning
mental set  The tendency for old patternsof problem solving to persist
norms  Standards of test performance that permit the comparison of one person's score on the test to the scores of others who have taken the same test
overgeneralization  The phenomenon whereby children apply rules even when the application results in an error
phonemes  The smallest basic sound units
phonology  The study of the smallest sound units, called phonemes
practical intelligence  Intelligence related to overall success in living
prototypes  Typical, highly representative examples of a concept
reliability  The concept that tests measure consistently what they are trying to measure
semantics  The rules governing the meaning of words and sentences
semantics  The rules governing the meaning of words and sentences
syntax  The rules that indicate how words and phrases can be combined to form sentences
telegraphic speech  Sentences that sound as if they were part of a telegram, in which words not critical to the message are left out
thinking  The manipulation of mental representations of information
universal grammar  Noam Chomsky's theory that all the world's languages share a similar underlying structure
validity  The concept that tests actually measure what they are suppose supposed to measure







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