cognition notes --- Thinking, problem-solving, and language notes

cognition

mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

concepts

a mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people

prototypes

a mental image or best example of a category

critical thinking

thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions.

convergent thinking

narrows the available problem solutions to determine the single best solution

divergent thinking

expands the number of possible problem solutions (creative thinking that diverges in different directions)

Metacognition

"Thinking about thinking" or the ability to evaluate a cognitive task to determine how best to accomplish it, and then to monitor and adjust one's performance on that task

Algorithm

A methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem.

Heuristic

a rule-of-thumb strategy that often allows us to make judgements and solve problems efficiently; usually speedier also more error-prone than algorithms

insight

a sudden and often novel realization of the solution to a problem

fixed vs growth mindset

Fixed = Intelligence is a fixed trait that cannot be developed. Growth = Intelligence is a malleable quality that can be developed and cultivated through effort. Carol Dweck.

confirmation bias

a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence

mental set

a tendency to approach a problem in one particular way, often a way that has been successful in the past

representative heuristic

judging the likelihood of things in terms of how well they seem to represent, or match, particular prototypes

availibility heuristic

basing the estimated probability of an event on the ease with which relevant instances come to mind

Overconfidence

the tendency to be more confident than correct—to overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs and judgments.

self-serving bias

the tendency for people to take personal credit for success but blame failure on external factors

belief perserverance

clinging to one's initial conceptions after the basis on which they were formed has been discredited

cognitive dissonance

Inner tension that a consumer experiences after recognizing an inconsistency between behavior and values or opinions

Priming

An enhanced ability to think of a stimulus, such as a word or object, as a result of a recent exposure to the stimulus

framing

the way an issue is posed; how an issue is framed can significantly affect decisions and judgments.

functional fixedness

seeing objects only for their usual use

Gambler's Fallacy

the belief that the odds of a chance event increase if the event hasn't occurred recently

sunk cost fallacy

a framing effect in which people make decisions about a current situation based on what they have previously invested in the situation

creativity

the ability to produce novel and valuable ideas

executive function

skills for planning focusing and multitasking

intelegence

the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills

Assessment

the process of measuring knowedge skills or abilities

acheviement test

a test designed to assess what a person has learned

aptitude test

a test designed to predict a person's future performance; aptitude is the capacity to learn

stanford-binet intellegence test

wideley used intellegence test that measures cognitive abilities across different age groups

intellegence test

a method for assessing an individual's mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others, using numerical scores