Module 5 Lesson 2 - Problem Solving Flashcards
What does thinking involve?
It involves the use of concepts, which are the mental groupings of similar things. This can include objects, people, ideas, events, etc…
Where do concepts usually arise from and what are they?
Concepts usually arise from prototypes, which are mental images that come to mind.
What are the two main problem-solving strategies?
Algorithms or heuristics
What are algorithms? Give an example.
A step-by-step process that guarantees a solution. Unless there is a human error, a solution will always be correct, but very time-consuming.
Ex. Going up and down every aisle to find a grocery.
What are heuristics? Give an example
A shortcut to problem-solving, this process involves simple strategies that are faster, but may not always lead to a correct answer.
Ex. Going to a similar aisle where the specific grocery was not found so help was asked for, only to find that the actual grocery was in a different aisle.
What are the two types of heuristics? Describe them.
Representative heuristic - Making a decision based on how closely the object matches your prototype; Ex. you may think of tomatoes as a vegetable, not a fruit.
Available heuristic - Making a decision on how recent the information is in your mind. Ex. The last time I went to a grocery store, tomatoes could be found in the fruits section.
What is it called when a solution pop’s into a person’s head without thinking or problem- solving? Where do they occur?
Known as insight, these “aha” moments occur in the right temporal lobe (Kounios and Beenan). Participants in the study were given the same one word with each of the three words in a set: pine, crab, and sauce.
What are some roadblocks to problem-solving?
- Overconfidence
- Belief Bias
- Confirmation Bias
- Belief Perseverance
What is overconfidence?
The tendency of when a person overestimates the accuracy of his/her beliefs.
Ex. A person refuses to ask for directions because they know they are headed in the right direction, only to be late for the meeting because they were wrong.
What is belief bias?
The tendency for people to believe what you have always come to know.
Ex. If a person was raised with a specific belief system, they will be more likely to only be able to believe in those values that they have come to know.
What is confirmation bias?
It is the tendency that people only look for information that supports their own ways of thinking.
What is belief perseverance?
When a person continues to adhere to their beliefs even after it has been discredited.
What is mental set?
A type of fixation where one is set in their ways of problem-solving, and approached the problem the same way every time
What is functional fixedness?
A type of fixation in which one has the inability of seeing a different use for an object.
Ex. A person putting together furniture needs a screwdriver but cannot find one. What do they do?
What is creativity?
The ability to produce new and valuable ideas
