Unit 3 AP Psychology Terms

Metacognition

• Thinking about one’s own thinking process

Executive Functions

• Cognitive processes that allow individuals to generate, organize, plan, and carry out goal-direct behaviors

• Helps experience critical thinking

Prototypes

• Mental images/best example of a category

• Helps in recognizing and categorizing objects or concepts

Schemas

• Cognitive frameworks or blueprints

• Help organize/interpret information based on past experiences and knowledge

Assimilation “Adding to Existing”

• Cognitive process of fitting new information into existing schemas

• Simplifies new information, making it easier to understand and remember

• Integrating it with what is already known

Accomodation “Adjusting”

• Cognitive process of modifying existing schemas/creating new ones in response to new information

• Allows for more accurate understanding of the world

• Adjusting schemas when they no longer fit with new information

Convergent Thinking

• Cognitive process focusing on finding a single, correct solution to a problem by applying logical steps

Functional Fixedness

• Cognitive bias that limits a person to using an object only in the way it is traditionally used

• Restricts problem-solving, hindering ability to see new uses for familar objects

Algorithms

• Step-by-step procedures or formulas for solving problems that guarantee a sorrect solution

• Powerful for organizing an approach to complex problems and achieving consistent results

Divergent Thinking

• Thought process or method used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions

• Creativity with coming up with new ideas

Heuristics

• Mental shortcuts that simplify decision-making by reducing cognitive burden

• Speed up problem-solving

Representative Heuristic

• Cognitive shortcut wherein individuals make judgments about probability of an event

• Based on how much it resembles existing stereotypes or typical cases

Availability Heuristic

• Mental shortcut relying on immediate examples that come to a person’s mind when evaluating concept, method, or decision

Mental Set

• Tendency to approach situations in a certain way because that method worked in the past

• Can sometimes prevent seeing alternative solutions

Priming

• Exposure to one stimulus influences the response of a subsequent stimulus

• Without conscious guidance or intention

Framing

• How information is presented influences decisions and perceptions

Gambler’s Fallacy

• Cognitive bias when individuals believe outcome of a random event is influenced by previous outcomes

• But each event is independent and has no hearing on future results

Sunk-Cost Fallacy

• Cognitive bias where individuals continue investing time, effort, money into a project/decision b/c they already invested so much

• Even if returns are poor or endeavor no longer aligns with their goals