thinking
changing and reorganizing the information stored in memory to create new information
image
a visual, mental representation of an event or object
symbol
an abstract unit of thought that represents an object or quality
concept
a label for a class of objects or events that have at least one attribute in common
prototype
a representative example of a concept
rule
a statement of relation between concepts
metacognition
the awareness of one's own cognitive processes (thinking about how you think)
algorithm
a step by step procedure for solving a problem
heuristic
a rule of thumb problem solving strategy
mental set
a habitual strategy or pattern of problem solving
functional fixedness
the inability to imagine new functions for familiar objects
creativity
the capacity to use information and/or abilities in a new and original way
flexibility
the ability to overcome rigidity
recombination
rearranging the elements of a problem to arrive at an original solution
insight
the apparent sudden realization of the solution to a problem
phoneme
an individual sound that is a basic structural element of language
morpheme
the smallest unit of meaning in a given language
syntax
language rules that govern how words can be combined to form meaningful phrases and sentences
semantics
the study of meaning in language