Cognition Flashcards
Mental imagery
Mental images used in thought process that we are able to engage with.
Larger images take more time
Similarity between actually seeing and imagining seeing
Concept
idea that represents a class or category of subject without a specific example
Formal concept
has strict definition ex. squares, science
Natural concept
Has ‘fuzzy’ definitions
comes from experience
Prototype
Concept that closely matches defining definition of concept (apple as a prototype for concept of fruit)
People compare prototype and concept to see if they match
Types of problem solving
Trial and error, algorithms, heuristics
Algorithms
Step by step procedure for solving problems
Heuristics
Rule of thumb/educated guesses based on prior experiences. Shortcut
Working backwards
subgoals
availability
Representativness
Representativness heuristic
Used for categorizing objects; anything that shows traits with that category is in it
Availability heuristic
Estimation of frequency of event is based on how easy it is to recall or think of related examples
Working backwards
Know the goal, compare solutions
Subgoals
diving goals into smaller goals
Insight
“ah ha” moment. Actually brain reorganizing problem and solving it while thinking of something else
Problems with problem solving
Functional fixedness, mental sets, confirmation bias,
Functional fixedness
thinking of objects only in their typical function