Thinking and Reasoning

Question 1

What is a judgement?

Answer 1

Assessing the likelihood of an event occuring based on incomplete information

Question 2

What is inductive and deductive reasoning?

Answer 2

Inductive- Forming conclusions based on previous experience. Most common everyday reasoning

Deductive- Reasoning from specific tasks to form a conclusion

Question 3

What is syllogistic reasoning?

Answer 3

A conclusion is inferred from premises. Can be measured using Wason’s selection task.

Question 4

What are the 2 ways of explaining syllogistic reasoning?

Answer 4

1: Atmosphere bias- If there is 1 negative in the premise, then negative solution is preferred.
2: Belief bias- If syllogism fits our prior beliefs, it’ll be judged as valid.

Question 5

Conditioning reasoning rule: what is the difference between Modus Ponens and Modus Tollens?

Answer 5

Modus Ponens- If A is true, then so is B

Modus Tollens- If not B, then not A

Question 6

What are biases and heuristics?

Answer 6

Short cuts and rule of thumb, we use these as they are cognitively undermanding

Question 7

What did Paucheretal say the 3 influences are on application of ability?

Answer 7

Own direct behaviour
Affect heuristic
Media coverage

Question 8

What is the dual process model?

Answer 8

Argues we do not always use heuristics. System 1 is fast thinking, system 2 is slow thinking and kicks in when there’s conflict

Question 9

What is the logical intuition model?

Answer 9

Made up of 2 systems; intuitive and deliberate
Intuitive= heuristics and logical
Deliberate= triggers when conflict is experienced

Question 10

Why may thinking be limited?

Answer 10

It is difficult to be rational all the time and all systems have limits. Bias and heuristics mainly work.

Question 11

Why isnt reasoning limited?

Answer 11

Bias and heuristics are not errors, they are shortcuts to allow rapid access to adequate judgements.

Question 12

What is consequentialism and deontologicalism?

Answer 12

Consequentialism: greatest good, least harm
Deontologicalism: Highest morality, acting to kill is wrong

Question 13

What is omission bias?

Answer 13

The tendency to judge harmful actions as worse/less moral than harmful omissions because people view harmful act is more obvious than harmful omission

Question 14

What did Ritov and Baron find?

Answer 14

Parents would not vaccinate their kids if the risk harm was more than 5 in 10000. Would rather harm children through inaction than action.

Question 15

Human thinking reflects what system?

Answer 15

A normative system (must have incorrect or correct solutions)

Question 16

What did Simon say about bounded rationality?

Answer 16

Argued humans produce workable solutions using shortcuts. Thinking errors are limits of a system, not irrationality. Thinking is pragmatic, not normative. What matters is the fit between the actor’s mind and their environment.

Question 17

What is adductive reasoning?

Answer 17

Best guessing from available evidence

Question 18

What is Backward induction?

Answer 18

Top-down reasoning process. Start with the theory and work backwards to explain them.

Question 19

What did Cosmides and Tooby do?

Answer 19

Repeated the Wason card selection task in a social context. We perform better in social context our brain has a module that processes social info, but not abstract info