Brain and Thinking

Question 1

~Role of Prefrontal Cortex (PFC)~
Patients with PFC damage show difficulty switching from one pattern of behavior to another
-stuck to one rule
-difficulties in various problem solving tasks

Answer 1

Preservation

Question 2

Correct answer
Certain procedure will lead to solution 
     Initial state 
     Goal state
     Operators
     Path constraints

Answer 2

Well defined Problems

Question 3

No well defined choices or steps for reaching goals
Path to solution is unclear
NO “CORRECT” ANSWER
May be able to make a ill-defined problem defined with sub-goals

Answer 3

ILL-defined problems

Question 4

Sudden realization of a problems solution. Occurring during productive thinking when the problem is SUDDENLY RESTRUCTED AND THE SOLUTION BECOMES CLEAN

Answer 4

Insight

Question 5

~Mental set: Obstacle to problem solving~

Answer 5

Functional Fixedness

Mental set about normal use for objects

Question 6

restricting use of an object to its familiar functions

Answer 6

Functional fixed ness

Question 7

Mental set about normal use for objects: (3 problems)

Answer 7

Candle problem
Nine-dot problem
Water-jug problem

Question 8

True/False

only certain paths through problem space lead to goal

Answer 8

True

Question 9

Conditions at the beginning of the problem

Answer 9

Initial state

Question 10

The solution of the problem

Answer 10

Goal state

Question 11

All in states between initial and goal states

Answer 11

Intermediate State

Question 12

actions that take the problem from on state to another, there are rules that specify which actions are allowed in which are not

Answer 12

Operators

Question 13

1. Generate new operation and test
2. Check his goal state is achieved
3. if not, repeat step #1

** systematic trial and error: don’t revisit unsuccessful locations in problem space

Answer 13

Trail and error

Question 14

Slow, inefficient; doesn’t necessarily lead to the answer if the problem requires insight

Answer 14

Problem with trial and error

Question 15

1. divide problem into multiple sub problems
2. So that each sub problem: detect difference between initial state and go to state and find operation that minimize difference
   * * can include working backwards from goal

Answer 15

Means-ends search

Question 16

Difficult to breakdown some problems into some problems, EX. the nine-dot problem

Answer 16

Problems with Means-Ends search

Question 17

By RELATING CURRENT PROBLEM TO A PREVIOUSLY ENCOUNTERED PROBLEM, the problem solver CAN use the same strategy to solve it

Answer 17

Analogically Problem Solving

Question 18

Transfer from “source” problem to “target” problem
EX.
Russian marriage problem (Source problem)
Multilayer-checkerboard problem (target problem)

Answer 18

Analogically transfer

Question 19

Why “Noticing Relationship” is hard?

Answer 19

People often focus on SURFACE FEATURES instead of STRUCTURAL FEATURE

Question 20

Specific Elements that make up the problem

Answer 20

surface features

Question 21

underlying principle that governs the solution

Answer 21

Structural features

Question 22

A doing-nothing period often assumed to precede insight

Answer 22

Incubation

Question 23

Subconscious processing or forgetting (maybe taking breaks simply allows you to forget) or decay and mental set and frustration

Answer 23

Explanations

Question 24

Set of symbols that can be combined according to a set of rules to produce an infinite variety of messages

Answer 24

Language

Question 25

System of communication using sounds or symbols

Express feelings, thoughts, ideas and experiences

Answer 25

Language

Question 26

N. Chomsky(1959) language instinct

• human language coded in genes
• underlying basis of all language is similar
• language acquisition device (LAD) has built-in assumptions, rules, constraints (EX. S-V-O or S-O-V)

Answer 26

Is our capacity for language innate or learned?

Question 27

The sounds of language

Answer 27

Phonemes

Question 28

Shortest segment of speech that, if changed, changes the meaning of the word
—-Not the same as “Letter” because a letter has different sounds (we, wet)

Answer 28

Phoneme

Question 29

Elementary units of meaning
—smallest do you know a language that has meaning or grammatical function
EX. Trucks: two morphemes
truck(vehicle) + s (more than one)

Answer 29

Morpheme