Exam 7: Thinking, Language, and Intelligence

A mental representation of objects or events that are not physically present is called a(n):

The Focus on Neuroscience box, "Seeing Faces and Places in the Mind's Eye," reports on an fMRI study of mental imagery. In the study, the researchers compared brain scans of volunteers who were:

A worldwide survey of intelligence test scores showed that there were significant gains in average IQ scores in 14 nations in just one generation. These results provide support for environmental influences on IQ scores because:

Bilingualism is defined as having fluency in one language.

Herman does not respond to attempts at social interaction. He also engages in repetitive or odd motor behaviors and has a few restricted routines and interests on which he focuses. According to the In Focus box on neurodiversity, Herman has symptoms of a disorder called autism spectrum disorder.

People tend to believe evidence that confirms what they want to believe is true, a bias that is sometimes called the wishful thinking bias.

With virtually no hesitation, you can say that pigs, sheep, and cows are all examples of the concept of mammal, but you may hesitate a few seconds before deciding whether bats and porpoises are also mammals. This suggests that pigs, sheep, and cows are _____ of the concept mammal.

Identical twins share exactly the same genes because they developed from a single fertilized egg that split into two.

_____ proposes that differences among languages cause differences in the thoughts of their speakers.

How would you characterize the distribution of scores in a normal distribution?

Dr. Lopez assesses the correlation between scores obtained on two halves of his new test measuring the ability to cope with stress. He is checking the _____ of his new test.

According to the In Focus box on neurodiversity, mental retardation is a condition in which an individual's IQ score is 70 or below.

Describe psychological research that supports the following statement: "Environmental factors can have a significant effect on IQ scores."

Parents with children in day care may be motivated to embrace research findings that emphasize the benefits of day care for young children and discount findings that emphasize the benefits of home-based care. This is an example of the belief-bias effect.

When Binet developed the first intelligence test, he believed that:

In relation to the question of what determines intelligence, most psychologists agree that:

People with _____ typically have impaired social interactions, impaired verbal and nonverbal communication skills, engage in repetitive or odd motor behaviors, and have highly restricted routines and interests.

A test designed to measure a person's level of knowledge, skill, or accomplishment in a particular area is called a(n):

_____ refers to a group of cognitive processes used to generate useful, original, and novel ideas or solutions.

Imagine that Spearman, Thurstone, Sternberg, and Gardner are engaged in a spirited debate of the following statement: "A person's IQ score is the single best description of his or her overall mental ability." Pick any two of these theorists and explain how they would respond to this contention.