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SP MCAT Psych/Soc > Cognition & Problem Solving/Decision-Making > Flashcards

Cognition & Problem Solving/Decision-Making Flashcards

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1
Q

Cognition

A

looks at how our brains process and react to information presented to us in the world

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2
Q

Dual-Coding Theory

A
  • both verbal association and visual images are used to process and store information
  • ex. person has stored the stimulus concept “dog” as both the word ‘dog’ and as the image of a dog.
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3
Q

Information Processing Model

A
  • has 4 key components:
    (1) thinking requires sensation, encoding, and storage of stimuli
    (2) stimuli must be analyzed by the brain (rather than responded to automatically) to be useful in decision-making
    (3) decisions made in one situation can be extrapolated and adjusted to help solve new problems (also called situational modification)
    (4) problem solving is dependent not only on the person’s cognition level but also on the context and complexity of the problem
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4
Q

Cognitive Development

A

development of one’s ability to think and solve problems across the lifespan

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5
Q

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development

A
  1. Sensorimotor
  2. Preoperational
  3. Concrete
  4. Formal Operational
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6
Q

Sensorimotor Stage

A
  • Age: birth - 2 years
  • child learns to manipulate environment based on physical needs
  • circular reactions begin: primary circular reactions (repetition of body movement that originally occurred by chance), secondary circular reactions (manipulation of something outside of the body, ex. repeatedly throwing toys)
  • object permanence (understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are out of view)
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7
Q

Preoperational Stage

A
  • Age: 2 - 7 years
  • symbolic thinking (ability to pretend and have an imagination)
  • egocentrism (inability to imagine what other person may think/feel)
  • centration (inability to understand the concept of conservation – child focuses mainly on number of objects rather than the actual quantity)
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8
Q

Concrete Operational Stage

A
  • Age: 7 - 11 years
  • children understand conservation and consider perspectives of others
  • engage in logical thought as long as working with concrete objects or information that is directly available
  • unable to think abstractly
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9
Q

Formal Operational Stage

A
  • Age: 11+ years
  • marked by ability to think logically about abstract ideas and problem solve
  • can manipulate variables at random and distort data to fit preconceived hypotheses
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10
Q

What is the role of culture in cognitive development?

A

culture determines what one is expected to learn and the rate of cognitive development since kids are treated differently between cultures

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11
Q

Lev Vygotsky

A

psychologist that proposed that cognitive development is driven by a child’s internalization of their culture, including interpersonal and societal rules, symbols, and language

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12
Q

Fluid Intelligence

A
  • consists of problem-solving skills
  • peaks in early adulthood
  • declines with age
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13
Q

Crystallized Intelligence

A
  • related to use of learned skills and knowledge
  • peaks in middle adulthood
  • declines with age
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14
Q

Dementia

A
  • type of intellectual decline that indicates a progressive loss of function beyond that of old age
  • begins with impaired memory but later progresses to impaired judgement and confusion
  • most commonly caused by Alzheimers
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15
Q

Delirium

A

rapid fluctuation in cognitive function that is reversible and caused by medical (nonpsychological) causes

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16
Q

Mental Set

A

tendency to approach similar problems in the same way

17
Q

Functional Fixedness

A

the inability to consider how to use an object in a nontraditional way

18
Q

What are the different types of problem solving?

A
  • trial and error
  • algorithms
  • deductive reasoning
  • inductive reasoning
19
Q

Trial and Error

A
  • various solutions are tried until one is found that seems to work
  • only effective when there are relatively few possible solutions
20
Q

Algorithms

A
  • formula or procedure for solving a certain type of problem

- can be mathematical or a set of instructions designed to automatically produce the desired solution

21
Q

Deductive (Top-Down) Reasoning

A
  • starts from a set of general rules and draws conclusions from the information given
  • occurs when complex phenomena are broken down into smaller parts in order to understand the parts
  • Ex. logic puzzles in which only one possible solution can be deduced based on the info given
22
Q

Inductive (Bottom-Up) Reasoning

A
  • seeks to create a theory via generalizations
  • starts with specific instances and then draws a conclusion from them
  • occurs when small pieces of information are combined in order to understand more complex phenomena
  • suggests we start with the information gathered by sensory receptors and build up to a final representation in our brain
23
Q

Heuristics

A
  • simplified principles used to make decisions

- known as “rules of thumb”

24
Q

Availability Heuristic

A
  • used when we try to decide how likely something is

- decisions based on how easily similar instances can be imagined

25
Q

Representativeness Heuristic

A
  • categorizing items on the basis of wether they fit stereotypical/representative image of the category
  • can lead to individuals overestimate/underestimate a probability based on a pattern they observed
26
Q

Base Rate Fallacy

A
  • using prototypical or stereotypical factors while ignoring actual numerical information
  • can occur when using a representativeness heuristic
27
Q

Disconfirmation Principle

A
  • evidence obtained from testing demonstrates that the solution did not work
  • occurs when a potential solution to a problem fails during testing so the solution must be discarded
28
Q

Confirmation Bias

A
  • tendency to focus on information that fits an individual’s beliefs, while rejecting information that goes against them
  • can lead to overconfidence (tendency to erroneously interpret one’s decisions, knowledge, and beliefs as infallible)
29
Q

Belief Perseverance

A

inability to reject a particular belief despite clear evidence to the contrary

30
Q

Intuition

A
  • the ability to act on perceptions that may not be supported by available evidence
  • when people have beliefs that are not supported by evidence but the person “feels” it to be correct
  • often developed by experience
31
Q

Recognition-Primed Decision Model

A
  • seeks to describe how people make quick, effective decisions
  • the decision maker generates a possible course of action, compares to constraints, and selects the first course of action that is not rejected
32
Q

Emotion

A
  • the subjective experience of a person in a certain situation
  • how one feels often influences how they think and make decisions
  • emotions that a person expect to feel are also involved when making a decision
33
Q

Multiple Intelligences

A
  • one of the most all-encompassing definitions
  • seven defined types of intelligence: linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal
  • belief that only linguistic ability and logical-mathematical ability are the only two tested on an IQ test
34
Q

What is the equation used to determine IQ?

A

IQ = (mental age / chronological age) x 100

35
Q

What are some determinants that account for variation in IQ?

A
  • genetics
  • environmental factors
  • educational experience
36
Q

A-Not-B Error

A
  • occurs when an individual perseveres in looking for an object in a location in which it previously has placed, even with the knowledge that it has been placed elsewhere
  • most common in infants under 12 months of age
  • Ex. an infant is consistently able to locate a toy underneath a red box when she observes a researcher placing the toy underneath this red box. When the researcher, in full view of the infant, places the toy underneath an adjacent blue box, the infant incorrectly looks for the toy underneath the original red box
37
Q

Social Schemas

A
  • cognitive structures that guide the information processing of ideas about categories of social events and people
  • when one is made more accessible through priming, it can be activated and used more quickly in a particular situation

SP MCAT Psych/Soc (29 decks)

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