Cognition and Problem-Solving: Key Concepts and Heuristics in Psychology

Cognition

all the mental activities

associated with thinking, knowing,

remembering, and communicating

Concepts

A mental grouping of similar

objects, events, ideas, or people.

EX: There are a variety of chairs but their

common features define the concept of a Chair

prototype

a mental image or best

example of a category. Matching new items

to a prototype provides a quick and easy

method for sorting items into categories.

Ex: a robin is a prototype of a bird

Schema

A concept or framework that organizes and

interprets information

Assimilation

interpreting our new

experiences in terms of our existing schemas

accommodation

adapting our

current schemas (understandings) to

incorporate new information

Creativity

the ability to produce

new and valuable idea

convergent thinking

Narrowing the

available problem

solutions to determine

the single best solution

Divergent thinking

Expanding the number of possible

problem solutions; creative thinking that

diverges in different directions.

• Open-end

Metacognition

Cognition about

our cognition; keeping track of and

evaluating our mental processes

Heuristic

a simple

thinking strategy that

often allows us to make

judgments and solve

problems efficiently.

Usually speedier but

also more error-prone

than algorithms

Insights

a sudden

realization of a

problem's solution.

Contrasts with

strategy-based

solutions.

Conformation bias

A tendency to search for information that

supports our preconceptions and to ignore or

distort contradictory evidence.

Fixation

In cognition, problem from obstacle to the inability to see a

a new perspective, an

problem solving

Mental set

: problem in that has been A tendency to approach a

one particular way, often a way

successful in the past

Intuition

an effortless, immediate,

automatic feeling or thought, as

contrasted with explicit, conscious reasoning

representativeness heuristic

Judging the likelihood of things in

terms of how well they seem to

represent, or match, particular

prototypes; may lead us to ignore

other relevant information

availability heuristic

Estimating the likelihood of events

based on their availability in memory.

If instances come readily to mind we

presume such events are common

Overconfidence

The tendency to be more confident than

correct -

To overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs

and judgments.

belief perseverance

clinging to one's

initial conceptions after the basis on which

they were formed has been discredited

Framing

the way an issue is posed; how

an issue is framed can significantly affect

decisions and judgements

Nudge

framing encourages people decisions.

choices in a way that

to make beneficial

Executive function

Cognitive skills generate, organize, goal-directed behavior.

that work together, enabling us to

plan, and implement

Algorithm

A methodical, logical rule or

procedure that guarantees solving a particular

problem.

Contrasts with the more error-prone) use usually speedier (but also

of heuristics.

Algorithms, which are very time consuming, exhaust all possibil