exam 3

define cognition

proper name for all mental information processing

key elements of cognition

perception, attention, memory, analysis

foundational actions you can take to ensure optimal cognition

take care of body: exercise, circulation, eat nutritious/ high calorie foods

challenge your mind: puzzles, sudoku

how does logic work

what is logic’s main purpose

define inductive logic

dealing with probability based on observations unknown-unknown

inductive logic example and error

Every swan I’ve ever seen is white. Therefore, all swans are white

observations may be biased

define deductive logic

reasoning based on known-knowns IF … THEN

deductive logic example and error

All apples are fruits. This is an apple. Therefore, this is a fruit.

conclusions are assured to be true

define abductive logic

finding the most likely explanation without all the information known-unknown

abductive logic example and error

The ground is wet, and it’s cloudy. Therefore, it probably rained.

don’t have absolute certainty about conclusion

define truth in logic

define validity in logic

what is a logical argument

elements that make up a logical argument

define biases

systematic patterns of deviation from rational judgement, often subconscious

define fallacies

flawed arguments or reasoning errors that often sound persuasive, but are invalid

specified fallacies given in class

specified biases given in class

general category of cognitive distortions (and jumping to conclusions) and examples

social conditioning

accepting the professed or implicit belief of a social group without actually evaluating those beliefs

outlier effect

tendency to give too much attention or weight to extreme or unusual cases (they stand out in your mind)

conposition fallacy

assume a whole team is talented because you know one person on the team really is

where in the brain short-term memory occurs

define mental models

internal representations of external reality; symbols, icons, system, and axioms held in our active and inactive minds to understand and alter circumstances

define perception

process of acquiring, interpreting, and organizing sensory information from the environment

define attention

define memory

process of storing, retaining, and recalling information (as symbols) over time

describe short-term memory

temporary hold space for information, active space in mind, without rehearsal or attention data fades quickly

describe long-term memory

where information has been meaningfully processed and stored for later retrieval

encoding

process of conversion of sensory inputs into a format for later retrieval

process of stabilizing memory traces, usually during sleep

how information is stored in the brain at the lowest levels

STRUCTURAL element of language

FUNCTIONAL element of language

two areas of brain directly related to verbal speech

Broca’s Area: left frontal lobe, motor area allowing speech, controls tongue, throat, lips

Wernicke’s Area: left temporal lobe, audible language comperhension

principle and purpose of specificity

relationship between writing and thinking

functional purpose and role of grammar in thinking

how writing influences thinking patterns

common writing mistakes

incomplete sentences, run-ons, misused punctuation marks, misspelling

what constitutes complete thoughts in writing

how writing language differs from spoken laungage

six steps of problem solving

identify problem, gather information, clarify problem, consider solutions, slect best one, develop plan

steps of decision and follow-through phase

implementation plans, monitoring, adjectments, achievements

key elements of problem statement

current situation, desired situation, the gap, impact

different kinds of research

firsthand or secondhand

purpose of divergent thinking

creative thinking; generation of many possible ideas, perspectives, and solutions

elements of quality divergent thinking

fluency (many ideas), flexibility, originality, elaboration, exploration

purpose of convergent thinking

critical/creative thinking; analyzing, evaluating, using existing ideas to reach logical conclusions

elements of quality convergent thinking

focused, analytical, evaluative, decisive, pragmatic

modalities of thinking

DSS (stands for, examples)

decision-support system

pugh decision making

comparing solutions against baseline pros, cons, or neutrals

4d decision making

DEFINE problem, DEVELOP solutions, DECIDE best, DO

MoSCoW decision making

must, should, could, would-haves

eisenhower decision making

important or not vs. urgent or not

delphi method