Thinking, Problem-Solving, Judgment & Decision Making

Accommodation

Adjusting existing schemas or creating new ones to fit new information.

Assimilation

Fitting new information into existing schemas.

Cognition

All mental processes involved in thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating.

Concept

A mental grouping of similar objects, events, or ideas.

Convergent Thinking

Narrowing down many possibilities to one correct answer.

Creativity

The ability to produce new and valuable ideas.

Divergent Thinking

Generating many possible solutions from one starting point.

Functional Fixedness

Being unable to see new uses for an object beyond its traditional function.

Mental Set

A tendency to approach problems using strategies that worked previously.

Prototype

The best or most typical example of a category.

Algorithm

Step-by-step method that guarantees a correct solution.

Availability Heuristic

Making decisions based on how easily examples come to mind.

Executive Functions

Cognitive processes like planning, inhibition, and problem-solving.

Framing

The way information is presented influences decisions.

Gambler's Fallacy

Belief that past random events affect future outcomes.

Heuristic

A mental shortcut used to make quick decisions.

Priming

Exposure to one stimulus influences your response to another.

Representativeness Heuristic

Judging something based on how well it fits a prototype.

Sunk-Cost Fallacy

Continuing something because you've invested resources, even if it's bad.