Psychology: Cognitive Biases, Heuristics, and Decision-Making Strategies

Executive Functions

Mental skills that help you plan, focus, remember, and control your behavior.

Algorithm

A step-by-step method that always gives the right answer.

Heuristic

A quick mental shortcut that helps you make fast decisions.

Insight

A sudden "aha!" moment when you solve a problem.

Confirmation Bias

Looking for information that supports what you already believe.

Fixation

Getting stuck on one way of thinking; unable to see new solutions.

Mental Set

Using old problem-solving strategies even when they no longer work.

Intuition

A gut feeling; automatic, fast thinking.

Representativeness Heuristic

Judging something based on how much it matches a stereotype.

Availability Heuristic

Judging by what easily comes to mind (often because it's recent or vivid).

Overconfidence

Being more confident than correct.

Belief Perseverance

Holding onto beliefs even when evidence proves them wrong.

Framing

How something is worded influences decisions.

Nudge

A small change in how choices are presented to guide behavior.