A theory is a broad explanatory framework that accounts for larger bodies of data and interprets phenomena. In psychological research, working with theories is a basic, essential ingredient, serving as the foundation from which specific hypotheses are derived and tested. Crucially, theories can be supported by evidence but can never be definitively proved, and disconfirming a single hypothesis does not necessarily mean that the broader theory has been disproved.

Theory

Concepts are mental categories used to group and organize various types of information, such as linguistic data, images, ideas, and memories. They function as cognitive structures or 'big ideas' that are formed by observing, categorizing, and combining specific details. This organizational system allows the mind to perceive relationships between different elements of experience, making information more organized and accessible. Concepts are influenced by semantic memory and are integral to every aspect of life, being particularly noticeable in educational settings where they are explicitly taught.

Concept

Refers to the number of different dimensions of meaning that a person has available within his or her system of meaning for a certain topic. Can be assessed by counting the number of different constructs used in a judgement. 

Cognitive Differentiation

Understanding the deep relationships between pieces of information and the principles of their domain

Conceptual Understanding

Understanding objects and events in the world and the ability make inferences about them. 

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Understanding or awareness of something or the sum total of one's understanding/awareness of all things.

Knowledge

Goldstein, E. B. (2014). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research and everyday experience. Nelson Education.


Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research and everyday experience

Conceptual Knowledge 

Stores our knowledge of words. Contains what a word means, how it sounds and how they are used in relation to other words.

Lexicon

People who devote a lot of time to learning about something (10,000 - 20,000 hours) and become extremely knowledgeable and skilled.

Experts

Some psychologists make the distinction between two major types of knowledge:
- Explicit knowledge (i.e., factual, taught in school)
- Tacit knowledge (i.e., procedural, wisdom)

Two Major Types of Knowledge (Tacit and Explicit)

Encoding knowledge as a function of the representational infrastructure to expresses that knowledge.

Structuration

"Information" as knowledge is the fact, subject, or event that an individual consumes and/or communicates

Information as knowledge 

- No universal definition 
- A study by Facione and Facione (1996) described critical thinking as reasoning used to make professionally informed decisions in time-constrained, high-stakes, novel-problem situations.
- Process of purposeful, self-regulatory judgement. This process gives reasoned consideration to evidence, context, conceptualization. Methods, and criteria (APA 1990)  


Critical Thinking 

Knowledge References

Gaining understanding of a written text by coming to a conclusion of its meaning. Comprehension occurs based off of the reader's prior knowledge of language and ability to make inferences.

Reading Comprehension

Visually representing knowledge to facilitate its communication.
It can be done using a computer or not.

Knowledge Visualization

A structured way of representing knowledge.
It consists of entities, relationships, and semantic descriptions. In other words, knowledge graphs represent logical relationship between entities.

Knowledge Graph

Ability to provide support, refute, and claim for justification, which could directly influence people understanding of the complexity of scientific knowledge

Argumentation

Knowledge acquired ahead of time/ beforehand.

Prior Knowledge

Knowledge dissemination is the process of sharing knowledge or information to a wider audience, often with the goal of increasing awareness and understanding of a particular topic or concept. This can be done through a variety of methods, including publishing research papers, conducting seminars or workshops, giving talks or presentations, using social media, or through various forms of media like newspapers, magazines, television, and the internet.

Knowledge Dissemination

The method of authority is a common approach to acquiring knowledge in which individuals accept new ideas or information as true simply because an authority figure states them. Common sources of this type of knowledge include parents, the media, doctors, religious authorities, the government, and professors. While convenient, this method raises important questions about whether information from these sources should be trusted unconditionally.

Method of Authority

A method of knowing is a conceptual process or approach that individuals use to acquire knowledge, form beliefs, and understand the world. These approaches can be broken down into five main categories, ranging from relying on subjective sources like intuition to depending on empirical evidence. Each category possesses its own unique strengths and weaknesses when it comes to determining whether we should trust the knowledge derived from it.

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