Unit 7B vocab Flashcards
a mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people
concept
the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
cognition
a mental image or best example of a category. Matching new items to a _________ provides 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 errorprone- use of heuristics
algorithm
a simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgements and solve problems efficiently; usually speedier but also more error-prone than algorithms
heuristic
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 info 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 sucsessful 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 idgnore other relevant info
representativeness heuristic
estimating the likelihood of events based on their availabitly in memory; if instances come readily to mind (perhaps becasue of their vividness), we presume such events are common
availability heuristic
the tendency to be more confident than correct-to overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs and judgements
overconfidence
clinging to one’s initial conceptions after the basis on which they were formed has been discredited
belief perseverance
