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Thinking
The manipulation of mental representations of information.
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Mental Images
Representations in the mind of an object or event.
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Concepts
A mental grouping of similar objects, events, or people.
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Prototypes
Typical, highly representative examples of a concept.
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Syllogistic Reasoning
Formal reasoning in which people draw a conclusion from a set of assumptions.
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Algorithm
A rule that, if applied appropriately, guarantees a solution to a problem.
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Heuristic
A thinking strategy that may lead us to a solution to a problem or decision, but - unlike algorithms - may sometimes lead to errors.
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Means-ends Analysis
Involves repeated tests for differences between the desired outcome and what currently exists.
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Insight
A sudden awareness of the relationships among various elements that had previously appeared to be independent of one another.
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Functional Fixedness
The tendency to think of an object only in terms of its typical use.
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Mental Set
The tendency for old patterns of problem solving to persist.
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Confirmation Bias
The tendency to seek out and weight more heavily information that supports one's initial hypotheses and to ignore contradictory information that supports alternative hypotheses or solutions.
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Creativity
The ability to generate original ideas or solve problems in novel ways.
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Divergent Thinking
The ability to generate unusual, yet nonetheless appropriate, responses to problems or questions.
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Convergent Thinking
The ability to produce responses that are based primarily on knowledge and logic.
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Language
The communication of information through symbols arranged according to systematic rules.
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Grammar
The system of rules that determine how our thoughts can be expressed.
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Phonology
The study of the smallest units of speech, called phonemes.
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Phonemes
The smallest units of speech.
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Syntax
Ways in which words and phrases can be combined to form sentences.
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Semantics
The rules governing the meaning of words and sentences.
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Babble
Meaningless speechlike sounds made by children from around the age of 3 months and through 1 year.
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Telegraphic Speech
Sentences in which words not critical to the message are left out.
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Overgeneralization
The phenomenon by which children apply language rules even when the application results in an error.
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Learning-theory approach (to language development)
The theory that language acquisition follows the principles of reinforcement and conditioning.
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Nativist Approach (to language development)
The theory that a genetically determined, innate mechanism directs language development.
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Universal Grammar
Noam Chomsky's theory that all the world's languages share a common underlying structure.
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Language-Acquisition Device
A neural system of the brain hypothesized by Noam Chomsky to permit understanding of language.
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Interactionist Approach (to language development)
The view that language development is produced through a combination of genetically determined predispositions and environmental circumstances that help teach language.
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Linguistic-Relativity Hypothesis
The notion that language shapes and may determine the way people in a particular culture perceive and understand the world.
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