Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

CHAPTER7Thinking, Language,and IntelligenceThe Movie MomentPROLOGUEMount Magazine State Park in Tom. When Tom was 3, a preschool teacherArkansas is an easy three-hour drive had recommended that he be screened forfrom Tulsa. So when my friend Lynn and vague “developmental delays.” She wrote,her family invited me to join them for the “Tom doesn’t interact with the other children.”Sometimes, she said, he was “unre-evening in the hilltop cabin they rented, Ijumped at the chance. They were lined up sponsive,” and seemed “lost in his ownto greet me as I pulled up to their cabin in world.” But Lynn and Will thought thatmy trusty, now dusty, red Subaru. Lynn and Tom was just shy. At home, he was affectionatewith his family and especially closeWill, relaxed and smiling, were happy to beon vacation with their two teenagers in to his older sister.such a beautiful location. Lily, laughing and Tom was unusual in other ways. He wastalkative, was excited about starting college smart—very smart. At the age of 4, Tom hadin the fall. And Tom, Lily’s younger brother, the reading and writing abilities of a childwas standing off to one side, looking away. twice his age. Although he seldom talked,“Tom,” Lynn prompted, “Tom, say hello when Tom did talk, you couldn’t help but doto Sandy.”a double-take in response to his large vocabulary.And like lots of little boys, Tom wouldDucking his head, Tom looked outfrom beneath the bill of his baseball cap. become obsessed with a particular topic. On“Hell-oooooooo,” he said with an odd, one of my yearly visits it was volcanoes; onsingsongy cadence in his voice, thenanother, construction equipment. But unlikequickly turned away.lots of other little boys, Tom learned everythinghe could about his obsession and had“Good to see you, Tom!” I replied. If youdidn’t know Tom, you might think he was little interest in anything else.being rude. But I was well aware of Tom’s As Tom got older, it became harder tosocial reticence and other “oddball habits,” minimize the differences between Tom andas he called them, which were most noticeablewhen he interacted with other people. were joining teams, clubs, and expandinghis peers. In middle school, while other kidsOn the back deck of their cabin wetheir social circles, Tom’s only friends weresavored the incredible view of the river valley online chat room acquaintances. Lynn andbelow. Sheer cliffs dropped hundreds of feet. Will signed Tom up for Scouts, tennis lessons,and other group activities. But ratherFar in the distance, a river curled its waythrough miles of fields and woodlands. than participate, Tom would simply withdrawand sit on the sidelines.Later, as we hiked to the top of MountMagazine, Tom pushed ahead while Lynn It was when Tom was in the eighth gradeand Will stopped often to identify the that Will experienced what he later calledbutterflies and wildflowers along the path. “the movie moment.” He was reading aI thought of some of the conversations that magazine article about some famous artistsLynn and I had had over the years about who shared several unusual personality>Chapter Outline• Prologue: The Movie Moment• Introduction: Thinking, Language,and IntelligenceFOCUS ON NEUROSCIENCE: SeeingFaces and Places in the Mind’s Eye• Solving Problems and MakingDecisions• Language and ThoughtCRITICAL THINKING: The Persistenceof Unwarranted BeliefsCULTURE AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR:The Effect of Languageon Perception• Measuring IntelligenceIN FOCUS: Does a High IQ ScorePredict Success in Life?• The Nature of IntelligenceIN FOCUS: Neurodiversity:Beyond IQCULTURE AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR:Performing with a Threat in theAir: How Stereotypes UnderminePerformance• Closing Thoughts• ENHANCING WELL-BEING WITHPSYCHOLOGY: A Workshop onCreativity• Chapter Review275