Cognition: Thinking Flashcards
The mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
Cognition
A mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people
Concept
A mental image or best example of a category. Is a quick and easy method for sorting items into categories
Prototype
A methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem. Contrasts with the usually speedier-but also more error prone- use of heuristics
Algorithm
A simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgments and solve problems efficiently; usually speedier but also more error prone than algorithms
Heuristics
A sudden and often novel realization of the solution to a problem; it contrasts with strategy-based solutions
Insight
The ability to produce novel and valuable ideas
Creativity
A tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence
Confirmation bias
The inability to see a problem from a new perspective, by employing a different mental set
Fixation
A tendency to approach a problem in one particular way, often a way that has been successful in the past
Mental set
The tendency to think of things only in terms of their usual functions; an impediment to problem solving
Functional fixedness
Judging the likelihood of things in terms of how well they seem to represent or match particular prototypes; may lead us to ignore other relevant info
Representativeness heuristic
Estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory; if instances come to mind, we presume such events are common
Availability heuristic
The tendency to be more confident than correct-to overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs and judgments
Overconfidence
Clinging to one’s initial conceptions after the basis on which they were formed has been discredited
Belief perseverance
