Problem Solving and Decision - Making Flashcards
Mental set
framework for thinking about a problem. It can be shaped by habit or by desire.
Duncker’s candle problem
Cognitive performance test, measuring the influence of functional fixedness on a participant’s problem solving capabilities
Functional fixedness
The inability to consider how to use an object in a nontraditional manner
Trial - and - error
A less sophisticated type of problem solving in which various solutions are tried until one is found that seems to work.
Only effective when there are a few possible solutions.
Algorithms
A formula or procedure for solving a certain type of problem. (Mathematical)
Deductive (top-down) Reasoning
starts with a set of rules and draws conclusions from the information given.
i.e. logic puzzle
Inductive (bottom-up) Reasoning
Seeks to create a theory via generalizations.
Starts with specific instances, and then draws a conclusion from them.
Heuristics
short cuts or rules of thumb used to make decisions
Biases
exist when an experimenter or decision-maker is unable to objectively evaluate information
Intuition
a “gut feeling” regarding a particular decision. However, intuition can often be attributed to experience with similar situations.
What kind of mental states plays a role in decision - making?
Emotional state
Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences
proposes 7 areas of intelligence including:
linguistic, logical - mathematical, musical, visual - spatial, bodily - kinesthetic, interpersonal and intrapersonal
Availability Heuristic
used when we try to decide how likely something is
Representativeness Heuristic
Involves categorizing items on the basis of whether they fit the prototypical, stereotypical, or representative imagine of the category.
Base rate fallacy
using prototypical or stereotypical factors while ignoring actual numerical information
Disconfirmation Principle
the evidence obtained from testing demonstrated that the solution DOES NOT WORK.
Confirmation bias
the tendency to focus on information that fits an individuals beliefs, while rejecting information that goes against them.
Contributes to overconfidence
Overconfidence
a tendency to erroneously interpret ones decisions, knowledge, and believes as infallible.
Intuition
the ability to act on perceptions that may not be supported by available evidence.
Often developed by experience
Recognition primed decision model
when the doctors brain is actually sorting through a wide variety of information to match a certain pattern
Emotion
the subjective experience of a person in a certain situation
IQ Test
(Intelligence Quotient)
(Standford - Binet IQ Test)
A standardized test that measures intelligence.
IQ = (mental age/chronological age) x 100
