analytic ability

in Sternberg’s theory of intelligence, the ability to analyze problems and generate

different solutions

cognitive self-regulation

skill at identifying goals, selecting effective strategies, and accurate monitoring; a characteristic of successful students

comprehension

the process of extracting meaning from a sequence of words

convergent thinking

using information to arrive at one standard and correct answer

culture-fair intelligence tests

intelligence tests devised using items common to many cultures

deductive reasoning

drawing conclusions from facts; characteristic of formal-operational thought

divergent thinking

thinking in novel and unusual directions

dynamic testing

measures learning potential by having a child learn something new in the presence of the examiner and with the examiner’s help

elaboration

memory strategy in which information is embellished to make it more memorable

ability to use one’s own and others’ emotions effectively for solving problems and living happily

form of mental retardation that does not involve biological damage but instead represents the low end of the normal distribution of intelligence

intelligence quotient (IQ)

mathematical representation of how a person scores on an intelligence test in relation to how other people of the same age score

writing down information as it is retrieved from memory, a common practice for young writers

knowledge-transforming strategy

deciding what information to include and how best to organize it to convey a point

learning disability

when a child with normal intelligence has difficulty mastering at least one academic subject

permanent storehouse for memories that has unlimited capacity

in intelligence testing, a measure of children’s performance corresponding to the chronological age of those whose performance equals the child’s

mental operations

cognitive actions that can be performed on objects or ideas

substantially below-average intelligence and problems adapting to an environment that emerge before the age of 18

metacognitive knowledge

person’s knowledge and awareness of cognitive processes

metamemory

person’s informal understanding of memory; includes the ability to diagnose memory problems accurately and to monitor the effectiveness of memory strategies

organic mental retardation

mental retardation that can be traced to a specific biological or physical problem

organization

as applied to children’s memory, a strategy in which information to be remembered is structured so that related information is placed together

phonological awareness

the ability to hear the distinctive sounds of letters

practical ability

in Sternberg’s theory of intelligence, the ability to know which problem solutions are likely to work

psychometricians

psychologists who specialize in measuring psychological traits such as intelligence and personality

savants

individuals with mental retardation who are extremely talented in one domain

stereotype threat

an evoked fear of being judged in accordance with a negative stereotype about a group to which you belong

word recognition

the process of identifying a unique pattern of letters

type of memory in which a small number of items can be stored briefly