Chp 9.2: Thought Flashcards
propositional thought
thinking that takes the form of verbal sentences that we say or hear in our minds
imaginal thought
a form of thinking that uses images we can see, hear, or feel in our mind
motoric thought
mental representations of motor movements, such as throwing an object
proposition
a statement that expresses an idea in subject-predicate form
Eg. Students are intelligent people
concept
a mental category containing similar objects, people, and events
(Eg. Students/ intelligent people)
prototype
• typical or average members of a category that defines a concept
• allow for classification solely based on similarity
(Eg. Eagle is a bird, fits most ppl’s ‘bird’ prototype)
deductive reasoning
reasoning from a general principle to a specific case (top down) (likely to be accurate)
(“if all humans are mortal, and if Socrates is a human, then his is mortal.)
inductive reasoning
reasoning that proceeds from a set of specific facts to a general conclusion or principle (bottom up) (likeliness changes with evidence)
(Eg. Always have negative consequences when drunk, conclude binge drinking is bad.)
Name 4 possible obstacles in reasoning.
- irrelevant information
- belief bias
- emotions/ gut feeling
- framing
belief bias
the tendency to abandon logical rules and form a conclusion based on one’s existing beliefs
framing
the idea that the same information, problem, or options can be structured and presented in different ways (eg. 50% success/ 50% failure)
Summarise the 4 major stages of problem solving
Stage 1: Interpret (frame) and understand the problem.
Stage 2: Generate hypotheses or possible solutions.
Stage 3: Test the solutions, hypotheses, seeking to disconfirm one or more of them
Stage 4: Evaluate results and, if necessary, revise steps 1, 2, or 3.
Problem solving
trying to reach a goal when the path or the solution to the goal is unclear
mental set
the tendency to stick to problem-solving strategies or solutions that have worked in the past
problem-solving schemas
step-by-step scripts for selecting information and solving specialized classes of problems
What are the 2 important strategies for problem solving?
- Algorithms
- Heuristics
Algorithms
-more objective, logical, slower
-procedures, such as mathematical formulas, that automatically generate correct solutions to problems
(Math/chemical equations)
heuristics
- more subjective, intuitive, faster
- a method of problem solving characterized by quick and easy search procedures
means-end analysis
a heuristic problem-solving device in which people first define a subgoal they hope to achieve (an “end”), compare that subgoal to their present state of knowledge and, if there is discrepancy, try to find the means to reduce the difference
subgoal analysis
a problem-solving heuristic in which people attack a large problem by formulating subgoals, or intermediate steps toward a solution
representativeness heuristic
a guide in estimating the probability that an object or event belongs to a certain category based on the extent to which it represents a prototype of that category (based on similarity, eg. The Linda feminist/bank teller example)
availability heuristic
a guideline used to make likelihood judgments based on how easily examples of that category of events come to mind, or are “available” in memory
confirmation bias
the tendency to seek and favour information that reinforces our beliefs rather than to be open to disconfirming information
overconfidence
the tendency to overestimate one’s correctness in factual knowledge, beliefs, and decisions
