WEEK 4 Flashcards
What are the five stages of the information processing model?
- Sensory processing
- Perception
- Decision making
- Response selection
- Response execution
Natural or abstract concept (natural category)…
A concept that has no fixed set of defining features but has a set of characteristic features
Prototype…
A member of a natural concept that possesses all or most of it’s characteristic features
Proposition…
a mental representation of the relationship between concepts
Can be true or false
Mental model…
A set of propositions that represent people’s understanding of how things looks and work
Scripts…
Schemas about familiar activities and situations;
guide behaviour in those situations
Formal reasoning…
the process of following a set of rigorous procedures for reaching valid conclusions
For example, when using formal reasoning to decide the fastest way to travel from A to B, an individual’s first thought might be to take a plane since it is commonly considered the fastest means of transport.
Algorithm..
a systematic procedure that cannot fail to produce a correct solution to a problem if a solution exists
Informal reasoning…
the process of evaluating a conclusion, theory or course of action based on the evidence available to support it
Heuristics…
Mental shortcuts
Anchoring heuristics (anchoring bias)…
a mental shortcut that involves basing judgements on existing information
E.g. making an estimate of a figure, learning that the actual figure is far from your estimate, and then changing your estimate that is only closely removed from your original estimate as opposed to changing it to closer to the real figure
Representative heuristics…
a mental shortcut that involves judging whether something belongs in a given class on the basis of its similarity to other members of that class
e.g. Tom the Autistic bloke (Computer science or humanities student?)
Availability heuristics…
a mental shortcut in which
judgements are based on information that is most
easily brought to mind
e.g. choosing the box of cereal closest to you in the supermarket
What are the types of heuristics used in informal reasoning?
Anchoring heuristic– involves basing judgements on existing information
* representativeness heuristic – involves judging whether something belongs in a given class on the basis of its similarity to other members of that class
* availability heuristic – judgements are based on information that is most easily brought to mind
Mental set…
the tendency for old patterns of problem solving to persist
You pull on a door handle to open it. The door doesn’t open. You pull on it a few more times before you try to push, failing to notice the “push” sign on the door.
