Psych Unit 2: Concepts

concept

a way of grouping or classifying world around us

prototype

the typical picture that we envision

superordinate concept

very broad concept such as “food“

basic concept

smaller and more specific than superordinate concept, ex “bread“

subordinate concept

the smallest and most specific concept, ex “rye bread“

heuristics

intuitive rules that may/may not be helpful in a given situation, “rule of thumb“

availability heuristic

the conclusion is drawn from what events come readily to mind

representativeness heuristic

can lead to incorrect conclusion, we just objects and events in terms of how closely they match the prototype

algorithims

systematic, mechanical approaches that guarantee an eventual answer to a problem

confirmation bias

the search for information that supports a particular view, hinders problem-solving by distorting objectivity

hindsight bias

tendency after the fact to think you knew what the outcome would be

belief perseverance

affects problem solving, a person only sees the evidence that supports their particular position

framing

the way a quetion is phrased, can alter the objective outcome of problem-solving

mental set

past successes, may lead a person to make particular choices

Gambler’s fallacy

fallacy thinking that a certain event is more/less likely based on a series of events

sunk cost fallacy

fallacy about the tendency for people to continue doing something even when abandoning it would be more beneficial

executive functions

the cognitive processes in the brain that allow people to generate/organize/plan/carry out goal-directed behaviors (prefrontal cortex very involved)