Thursday, October 22 • Objective: Compare and contrast learning theories
Thursday, October 22
• Objective: Compare and contrast learning theories
Thinking
Cognitive Abilities
• All the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing and remembering
Thinking: Concepts
Concept
• Mental grouping based on shared similarity
• Categorizing items in one’s environment
Prototype
• Typical best example incorporating the major features of a concept
• The closer a new object is to our concept prototype the easier it is to categorize it
Concept Hierarchy
• A means to keep mental information organized from basic concepts to specific ones
Concept Hierarchy
Thinking:Problem Solving
Algorithms
• Problem-solving strategy that guarantees the solution to the problem
• Not always the most efficient method
Heuristics
• A rule-of-thumb problem solving strategy that makes a solution more likely and efficient but does not guarantee a solution
• These can be handy shortcuts, or they can get us into trouble
• Ex: “i before e, except after c”
Insight
• Sudden realization of the solution to a problem
• “Aha” experience
Thinking:Problems Solving
Problems
Mental Set
• Tendency to approach a problem in a particular way
• The set may or may not be helpful in solving a new problem
Fixation
• Mental set that hinders the solution of a problem
• One needs to think beyond the mental set to solve the new problem
Functional Fixedness
• Tendency to think of things only in terms of their usual functions
Functional Fixedness
Can you think of a way to use these materials to mount the candle on a
bulletin board?
Functional Fixedness
Confirmation Bias
• Tendency to focus on information that supports preconceptions
Availability Heuristic
• Estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory
• Can be correct or incorrect
• Activity: Availability Heuristic
Overconfidence
• When confidence is greater than accuracy
Framing
• How an issue is worded or presented• Can influence decisions and judgments
Friday, October 23
• Objective: Define intelligence and methods of measuring intelligence
Intelligence and Intelligence Testing
The Nature of Intelligence
Intelligence
• Ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to a new situation
• Is intelligence one thing or are there multiple intelligences?
The Nature of Intelligence:
Howard Gardner
Howard Gardner (1943- )
• Author of a contemporary theory of multiple intelligences consisting of eight separate kinds of intelligence
Gardner’s Types of Intelligence
Gardner’s Types of Intelligence
Gardner’s Types of Intelligence
Gardner’s Types of Intelligence
Gardner’s Types of Intelligence
Gardner’s Types of Intelligence
Gardner’s Types of Intelligence
Gardner’s Types of Intelligence
Charles Spearman (1863-1945)
• Theorized that a general intelligence factor (g) underlies other, more specific aspects of intelligence
General Intelligence (g)
• Factor that Spearman believed underlies specific mental abilities
The Nature of Intelligence:Emotional
Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence
• Ability to perceive, express, understand, and regulate emotions
• People high in emotional intelligence are more in touch with their feelings and the feelings of others.
Intelligence Testing
Wednesday, October 28th
Intelligence Testing:Alfred Binet
Alfred Binet (1857-1911)
• Developer of the first test to classify children’s abilities using the concept of mental age
• Assumed children’s intellectual abilities grew every year
Mental Age
• Chronological age that corresponds to the difficulty of the questions a child can answer
• An average 8-year-old child should have the mental age of 8 years.
Chronological Age
• The actual age of a person
Intelligence Quotient (IQ)
• Number that results from dividing mental age by chronological age and multiplying by 100
• IQ = (MA/CA) X 100• A score of 100 would be considered
average• Formula has been replaced with modern
versions
Intelligence Testing:David Wechsler
David Wechsler (1896-1981)
• Developed the Wechsler intelligence scales which included:–Different tests for different
age groups–Separate verbal and
nonverbal scores–Subtests and subtest scores
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test
Test Construction:Achievement and
Aptitude Tests
Achievement Tests
• Tests that attempt to measure what the test-taker has accomplished
• i.e. classroom tests at the end of a unit
Aptitude Tests
• Tests that attempt to predict the test-taker’s future performance
• Examples: ACT and SAT
Test Construction:Reliability and
Validity
Test Reliability
• Extent to which a test yields consistent results
Test Validity
• Extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is suppose to
• Does an achievement test accurately measure accomplishments?
• Does an aptitude test accurately measure the person’s future performance?
• One needs to know the purpose of the test