Chapter 7 focuses on cognitive psychology, the branch of psychology that focuses on the study of higher mental processes, including thinking, language, memory, problem solving, knowing, reasoning, judging, and decision making.

This chapter concentrates on three broad topics: thinking and reasoning, problem solving, and creativity and language. First, we consider concepts and various kinds of reasoning. Next the chapter examines problem solving strategies and how different strategies, such as creativity and skill at making judgments about solutions, may be useful. Finally, a discussion on how language is developed and acquired is presented.

To further investigate the topics covered in this chapter, you can visit the related websites by visiting the following link:
http://www.mhhe.com/feldmaness5-07links.

Section 1: Thinking and Reasoning Mental Images: Examining the Mind's Eye Concepts: Categorizing the World Solving Problems Becoming an Informed Consumer of Psychology: Thinking Critically and CreativelyApplying Psychology in the 21st Century:Can We Learn to be Better Thinkers?

Section 2: Language Grammar: Language's Language Language Development: Developing a Way with Words Understanding Language Acquisition: Identifying the Roots of Language The Influence of Language on Thinking: Do Eskimos Have More Words for Snow Than Texans Have? Do Animals Use Language?

Section 3: Intelligence Measuring Intelligence Applying Psychology in the 21st Century: When a High IQ Keeps You from Getting a Job: Are You Too Smart for the Job You Want? Are There Different Kinds of Intelligence? Variations in Intellectual Ability Individual Differences in Intelligence: Hereditary and Environmental Determinants Exploring Diversity: The Relative Influence of Heredity and of Environment: Nature, Nurture, and IQ. Placing the Heredity-Environment Question in Perspective