AP Psychology Vocab quiz 2

Cognition 

All mental activities associated with thinking and knowing

Metacognition

Thinking about thinking; evaluating mental processes

Concept

Mental grouping of similar objects, events, or ideas

Prototype

Mental image or best example of category

Schema

Concept or framework that organizes information

Assimilation

New information fits into current schema 

Accommodation

New information creates new schema 

Creativity

Ability to produce novel and valuable ideas

Convergent thinking

Provide a single correct answer

Divergent thinking

Consider many different options as correct

Executive functions

High level mental processes that help plan and control impulses

Algorithm 

Step by step procedure that guarantees a solution

Heuristic

Mental shortcuts that save time, but doesn’t guarantee a correct solution

Insight

Sudden realization or moment of realization after confusion

Confirmation bias

tendency to search for, interpret, favor and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one's prior beliefs or values

fixation

an inability to solve a problem from a new perspective

Mental set

Using same solution that worked previously, even if it doesn’t work now

Intuition 

mental process that allows for immediate, automatic, and effortless understanding

Representative heuristic

Judge how likely something is to happen based on how well it fits a prototype

Availability heuristic

Judge the likelihood of an event occurring based on how easily examples come to mind

Overconfidence

cognitive bias where an individual overestimates their abilities, knowledge, or judgment

Belief perseverance

the tendency to hold onto initial beliefs or ideas, even when confronted with new information that strongly contradicts them

Framing

How information is worded affects choices