Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

E VA LU AT E
1. Solving a problem by trying to reduce the difference 
between the current state and the goal state is known as a 
.
2.
is the term used to describe the sudden 
“fl ash” of revelation that often accompanies the solution 
to a problem.
3. Thinking of an object only in terms of its typical use is 
known as 
. A broader, related 
tendency for old problem-solving patterns to persist is 
known as a 
.
4.
describes the phenomenon of 
favoring an initial hypothesis and ignoring subsequent 
competing hypotheses.
5. Generating unusual but appropriate approaches to a ques-
tion is known as 
.
R E T H I N K
1. Is the reasoning in the following syllogism correct or 
incorrect? Why?
Creative people often have trouble with traditional intelli-
gence tests.
I have trouble with traditional intelligence tests. Therefore, 
I am a creative person.
2. From the perspective of a manufacturer : How might you 
encourage your employees to develop creative ways to 
improve the products that you produce?
Answers to Evaluate Questions
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’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves 
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: 
All mimsy were the borogoves, 
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Although few of us have ever come face to face with a tove, we have little diffi culty 
in discerning that in Lewis Carroll’s (1872) poem “Jabberwocky,” the expression slithy 
toves contains an adjective, slithy, and the noun it modifi es, toves . 
Our ability to make sense out of nonsense, if the nonsense follows typical rules 
of language, illustrates the complexity of both human language and the cognitive 
processes that underlie its development and use. The use of  language  —the com-
munication of information through symbols arranged according to systematic 
rules—is a central cognitive ability, one that is indispensable for us to communicate 
with one another. Not only is language central to communication, it is also closely 
tied to the very way in which we think about and understand the world. Without 
language, our ability to transmit information, acquire knowledge, and cooperate 
with others would be tremendously hindered. No wonder psychologists have 
devoted considerable attention to studying language (Stapel & Semin, 2007; Hoff, 
2008; Reisberg, 2009).
Grammar: Language’s Language
To understand how language develops and relates to thought, we fi rst need to review 
some of the formal elements of language. The basic structure of language rests on