11/7 Flashcards
Cognition
all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
metacognition
cognition about our cognition; keeping track of and evaluating our mental processes.
Concepts
mental groupings of similar objects, events, ideas, or people
Prototype
a mental image or best example of a category
Assimilation
Interpret new information according to our schemas.
Accomodation
Adjusting our schemas to incorporate new information provided by new experiences.
Creativity
The ability to produce new and valuable ideas.
Convergent thinking
Narrowing the available problem solutions to determine the single best solution (used for the SAT, the ability to provide a single correct answer).
Divergent thinking
Expanding the number of possible problem solutions; creative thinking that expands in different directions. Creativity tests require divergent thinking.
Executive functions
cognitive skills that work together, enabling us to generate, organize, plan, and implement goal-directed behavior.
Algorithm
a methodical, logical rule or step-by-step procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem
Heuristic
a simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgments and solve problems efficiently; usually speedier but also more error-prone than an algorithm
Insight
a sudden realization of a problem’s solution; contrasts with strategy-based solutions
Confirmation bias
a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence. Confirmation bias leads us to seek evidence for our ideas more eagerly than we seek evidence against them.
Fixation
the inability to see a problem from a new perspective; an obstacle to problem-solving.
Functional fixness
intended purpose of an object hinders a person’s ability to see its potential other uses.
Intuition
an effortless, immediate, automatic feeling or thought, as contrasted with explicit, conscious reasoning.
OFTEN LEADS TO BIAS
● Availability Heuristics
● Representativeness
Heuristics
● Affect Heuristics
Availability Heuristics
Making decisions based upon how easy it is to bring something to mind.
Example: If you are thinking of flying and suddenly think of a number of recent airline accidents, you might feel like air travel is too dangerous and decide to travel by car instead.
Representative Heuristics
Making a decision by comparing the present situation to the most representative mental prototype.
Example: A sweet older woman might remind you of your grandmother, so you might immediately assume that she is kind, gentle and trustworthy.
A scruffy, tattooed male may make you think guilty!
Affect Heuristics
Make decisions that are heavily influenced by their current emotions
Framing
the way an issue is posed; how an issue is worded can significantly affect decisions and judgments
Gamblers Fallacy
Predicting a random event based on previous random events
Sunk Cost Fallacy
When people continue a behavior or endeavor as a result of previously invested resources.
