2b/c: Thinking, Problem Solving, Judgments, Decision Making & Memory Flashcards
prototype
mental image/best example of a category
assimilate
integrate new experience in terms of exisitng schemas
accomodate
adapt current schemas to incoporate more info
aptitude
ability to learn
convergent thinking
ability to provide a single correct answer
divergent thinking
expanding # of possible problem solutions
functional fixedness
prior experiences inhibit ability to find creative solutions
executive functions
cognitive skills that work tgt, enabling us to generate, organize, plan + implement goal-directed behavior
insight
sudden realizaiton of problem’s solution, contrasts w/ strategy-based solutions (aha! moment)
confirmation bias
tendency to search for info that supports preconceptions + to ignore/distort contradictory evidence
fixation
inability to come to a fresh perspective
mental set
tendency to approach a problem in 1 particular way
motivated reasoning
using conclusions to assess evidence
framing
nudges ppl to answer/act in a certain way
phonological loop
holds aud. info in short-term memory
visuospatial sketchpad
holds info about objects’ appearance and location in space in STM
neurogenesis
formation of new neurons
long-term potentiation
increase in nerve cell’s firng potential after brief, rapid stimulation; neural basis for leaning + memory
iconic memory
fleeting sensory memory of visual stimuli
echoic memory
momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli
chunking
organizing items into familar, manageable units
mnemonics
vivid imagery + organizational devices (ex. acronyms)
semantic memories
facts + general knowledge
memory consolidation
neural storage of long-term memory
memory trace
lasting physical change as memory forms
retrospective memory
memory of past
prospective memory
memory of intended future actions
encoding specificity principle
idea that cues + contexts specific to particular memory will be most effective in helping us recall it
recency effect
tendency to remember last items on list
primacy effect
tendency to remember first items on a list after delay
anterograde amnesia
remember past but no formation of new memories
retrograde amnesia
inability to remember info from past
storage decay
forgetting after a long amount of time
proactive interference
prior learning disrupts recall of new info
retroactive interference
new learning disrupts recall of old info
positive transfer
when old learning facilitates new learning
reconsolidation
process in which previously stored memories, when retrieved, are potentially altered before being stored again
misinformation effect
after exposure to subtly misleading info, may confidently misremember what we’ve seen/heard
imagination inflation
reporting even richer details of false memories
deja vu
familiarity w/ stimulus + uncertainty of where we encountered it