Thinking and Decision making: mental representations Flashcards
What are mental representations?
Contents of the mind that stand for some objects, events or states of affairs.
What is the difference between analogical and symbolic representations?
Analogical representation shares characteristics with the object it represents, while symbolic representation does not.
What was the conclusion of Kosslyn et al.’s (1978) study on mental images?
Mental images accurately represent the spatial relationships inside a scene.
What did Chambers & Reisberg (1985) find about mental images?
Participants could reinterpret a figure they had memorized when asked to draw it, showing the flexibility of mental imagery.
Define propositions.
A statement relating a subject and a claim about that subject.
What are semantic association networks?
Network structures consisting of nodes (individual symbols) and associative links (connections between nodes).
What is the spread of activation in semantic networks?
Faster decisions are made when words are semantically similar.
What is deductive reasoning?
Deriving new assertions from assertions already in place.
What is a syllogism?
A conclusion that follows from two premises.
What is confirmation bias?
The tendency to take evidence consistent with our beliefs more seriously than evidence that is inconsistent.
What is the gambler’s fallacy?
The belief that past wins and losses influence future outcomes in a random event.
What are permission schemas?
Well-honed reasoning skills related to if-then situations that help us reason about daily life.
Define induction in reasoning.
Going from specific cases to a more general conclusion.
What are heuristics?
Strategies for making judgments quickly, often at the expense of occasional mistakes.
What is the availability heuristic?
Conclusions based on patterns of observations rather than single observations.
What is the representativeness heuristic?
Judging whether an individual or event belongs to a category based on how typical it seems.
What is dual-process theory?
The idea that we use both fast, automatic thinking (System 1) and slower, more effortful thinking (System 2).
What is utility theory in decision-making?
Each decision has costs and benefits based on personal goals, leading to the choice with the most favorable balance.
What is the framing effect?
Decisions are influenced by how questions are phrased and options described.
What is affective forecasting?
The ability to predict our future feelings, which we are not very good at.
What is the impact of having too many options?
We prefer many choices but are more likely to make a choice when there are fewer options.
What is a well-defined problem?
A problem with a clear goal and knowledge of the available options.
What is a mental set?
A specific perspective taken in approaching a problem that can hinder creative solutions.
What are obstacles in problem-solving?
Automaticity and mental sets can create barriers to effective problem-solving.
What is means-end analysis?
Breaking down problems into smaller subproblems and solving them step by step.
How can experts improve problem-solving?
Experience enhances problem-solving abilities.
What are the four key processes in cognitive tasks?
- Reasoning * Judgment * Decision-making * Problem-solving
Fill in the blank: The conclusion of a syllogism is valid if it logically follows the _______.
[premises]
