Unit 7B Thinking And Language Flashcards
Cognition
all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
Algorithm
methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem
Heuristics
simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgments and solve problems efficiently
-> faster, error prone
Availability heuristic
mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to a given person’s mind when evaluating a specific topic
Insight
sudden and often novel realization of the solution to a problem
Intuition
effortless, immediate, automatic feeling or thought, as contrasted with explicit, conscious reasoning
Confirmation bias
tendency to search for information that confirms one’s preconceptions
Functional fixedness
tendency to think of things only in terms of their usual functions; an impediment to problem solving
Fixation
inability to see a problem from a new perspective
Mental set
tendency to approach a problem in a particular way, especially a way that has been successful in the past
Overconfidence
tendency to be more confident than correct–to overestimate the accuracy of one’s beliefs and judgments
Belief bias
tendency for one’s preexisting beliefs to distort logical reasoning, sometimes by making invalid conclusions seem valid
Framing
the way an issue is posed; affects decisions
Ex bumped vs smashed
Convergent thinking/reasoning
mode of thinking used for problems that have just one correct solution-> narrowing of available solutions
Divergent thinking/reasoning
mode of thinking that is original, inventive, and flexible-> expands number of possible solutions
Language
spoken, written, or signed words and the ways we combine them to communicate meaning
Phonemes
smallest distinctive sound units
Syntax
Sentence structure
Semantics
Meaning of words
Ex: ice cream vs custard
Representativeness heuristic
Process of judging likelihood of things in terms of how well they match particular prototypes
Prototype
Mental image or best example of a category
Linguistic determinism
Hypothesis that language determines the way we think
Working memory
Newer understanding of short term memory that involves active, conscious processing of info
Spacing effect
Tendency for distributed study/practice to yield better long term retention
Language
Spoken, written, or signed words to communicate meaning
Overconfidence
Tendency to overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs and judgements
Broca’s area
Area that controls language expression
Creativity
Ability to produce novel and valuable ideas
Wernicke’s area
Brain area that controls language comprehension
Recall
Measure of memory in which person must retrieve info learned earlier
Storage
Retention of encoded info over time
Automatic processing
Unconscious encoding of incidental info such as space and time
Explicit memory
Memory of facts and experiences one can consciously know
Implicit memory
Process of retaining info independent of conscious recollection
Belief perseverance
Clinging to ones initial conceptions after they have been discredited
Morphemes
Fundamental forms of language that have meaning in context (goat vs goats-> implies number)
Syllogism
If these two ideas are true, then the third must also be true
A=B, B=C, then A=C
Sensory memory
Brief, immediate recording of sensory info in the memory system
Concept
Mental grouping of similar objects, events, or ideas
Recognition
Measure of memory in which the person need only identify items perilously learned
Mnemonics
Memory techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices
Heuristic
Thinking strategy that allows us to make judgements and solve problems efficiently
