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Test yourself repeatedly throughout your studies. This will not only help you figure out what you know and don’t know; the testing itself will help you learn and remember the information more effectively thanks to the testing effect.
1. A mental grouping of similar things is called a _________.
concept
2. The most systematic procedure for solving a problem is a(n) ___________.
algorithm
3. Oscar describes his political beliefs as “strongly liberal,” but he has decided to explore opposing viewpoints. How might he be affected by confirmation bias and belief perseverance in this effort?
Oscar will need to guard against confirmation bias (searching for support for his own views and ignoring contradictory evidence) as he seeks out opposing viewpoints. Even if Oscar encounters new information that disproves his beliefs, belief perseverance may lead him to cling to these views anyway. It will take more compelling evidence to change his beliefs than it took to create them.
4. A major obstacle to problem solving is fixation, which is a(n)
tendency to base our judgments on vivid memories.
tendency to wait for insight to occur.
inability to view a problem from a new perspective.
rule of thumb for judging the likelihood of an event in terms of our mental image of it.
c
5. Terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino made Americans, in the words of one senator, “really scared and worried”—and more fearful of being victimized by terrorism than of other greater threats. Such exaggerated fears after dramatic events illustrate the _________ heuristic.
availability
6. When consumers respond more positively to ground beef described as “75 percent lean” than to the same product labeled “25 percent fat,” they have been influenced by _________.
framing
7. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a creative person?
Expertise
Extrinsic motivation
A venturesome personality
Imaginative thinking skills
b
8. Children reach the one-
4 months.
6 months.
1 year.
2 years.
c
9. When young children speak in short phrases using mostly verbs and nouns, this is referred to as _______ _________.
telegraphic speech
10. According to Chomsky, all languages share a(n) _______ _______.
universal grammar
11. Most researchers agree that apes can
communicate through symbols.
reproduce most human speech sounds.
master language in adulthood.
surpass a human 3-
a
12. Charles Spearman suggested we have one _______ ______ underlying success across a variety of intellectual abilities.
general intelligence (g)
13. The existence of savant syndrome seems to support
Sternberg’s distinction among three types of intelligence.
criticism of multiple intelligence theories.
Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences.
Thorndike’s view of social intelligence.
c
14. Sternberg’s three types of intelligence are ________, _______, and _________.
academic; practical; creative
15. Emotionally intelligent people tend to
seek immediate gratification.
understand their own emotions but not those of others.
understand others’ emotions but not their own.
succeed in their careers.
d
16. The IQ of a 6-
67.
133.
86.
150.
d
17. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) is best able to tell us
what part of an individual’s intelligence is determined by genetic inheritance.
whether the test-
how the test-
whether the test-
c
18. The Stanford-
reliability
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19. The strongest support for heredity’s influence on intelligence is the finding that
identical twins, but not other siblings, have nearly identical intelligence test scores.
the correlation between intelligence test scores of fraternal twins is not higher than that for other siblings.
mental similarities between adopted siblings increase with age.
children in impoverished families have similar intelligence scores.
a
20. To say that the heritability of intelligence is about 50 percent means that 50 percent of
an individual’s intelligence is due to genetic factors.
the similarities between two groups of people are attributable to genes.
the variation in intelligence within a group of people is attributable to genetic factors.
intelligence is due half to the mother’s genes and half to the father’s genes.
c
21. The environmental influence that has the clearest, most profound effect on intellectual development is
exposing normal infants to enrichment programs before age 1.
growing up in an economically disadvantaged home or neighborhood.
being raised in conditions of extreme deprivation.
being an identical twin.
c
22. Use the concepts of crystallized and fluid intelligence to explain why writers tend to produce their most creative work later in life, while scientists often hit their peak much earlier.
Writers’ work relies more on crystallized intelligence, or accumulated knowledge, which increases with age. For top performance, scientists doing research may need more fluid intelligence (speedy and abstract reasoning), which tends to decrease with age.
23. Which of the following is NOT a possible explanation for the fact that more intelligent people tend to live longer, healthier lives?
Intelligence makes it easier to access more education, better jobs, and a healthier environment.
Intelligence encourages a more health-
Intelligent people have slower reaction times, making it less likely that they will put themselves at risk.
Prenatal events or early childhood illnesses could influence both intelligence and health.
c
24. In prosperous country X everyone eats all they want. In country Y the rich are well fed, but the poor have very little to eat. In which country will the heritability of body weight be greater?
The heritability (difference due to genes) of body weight will be greater in country X, where environmental differences in available nutrition are minimal.
25. _______ _______ can lead to poor performance on tests by undermining test-
Stereotype threat
Find answers to these questions in Appendix E, in the back of the book.