Deductive Reasoning and Decision Making

What is deductive reasoning?

It involves starting with specific premises that are often true to judge whether those premises allow for a particular conclusion based on logic.

What is a conditional reasoning task?

It describes the relationship between conditions.

What is a syllogism?

A syllogism consists of two statements assumed to be true, plus a conclusion.

What is propositional calculus?

A system for categorizing the four kinds of reasoning used in analyzing propositions.

What is an antecedent in reasoning?

The first proposition or statement contained in the 'if…' part of a sentence.

What is a consequent in reasoning?

The proposition that comes second, following the 'then…' part of a sentence.

What does affirming the antecedent mean?

It means stating that the 'if…' part of the sentence is true.

What does affirming the consequent mean?

It means stating that the 'then…' part of the sentence is true.

What does denying the antecedent mean?

It means stating that the 'if…' part of the sentence is false.

What does denying the consequent mean?

It means stating that the 'then…' part of the sentence is false.

What is a heuristic?

A general strategy that usually works well for problem-solving.

What is dual-process theory?

It distinguishes between two types of cognitive processing: Type 1 (fast and automatic) and Type 2 (slow and controlled).

What is Type 1 processing?

Fast and automatic cognitive processing that requires little conscious attention.

What is Type 2 processing?

Relatively slow and controlled cognitive processing that requires focused attention and is typically more accurate.

What is the belief-bias effect?

It occurs when people make judgments based on prior beliefs and general knowledge instead of the rules of logic.

What is confirmation bias?

The tendency to prefer confirming or supporting a hypothesis rather than trying to disprove it.

What is decision making?

The process of assessing information and choosing among two or more alternatives.

What is the representativeness heuristic?

It is the judgment that a sample is likely if it is similar to the population from which it was selected.

What is the small-sample fallacy?

The assumption that a small sample will be representative of the population from which it is selected.

What is the base rate in probability?

How often an item occurs in the population.

What is the base-rate fallacy?

Paying too little attention to important information about the base rate.

What is the conjunction rule?

The probability of the conjunction of two events cannot be larger than the probability of either of its constituent events.

What is the conjunction fallacy?

Judging the probability of the conjunction of two events to be greater than the probability of either constituent event.

What is the availability heuristic?

Estimating frequency or probability based on how easily relevant examples come to mind.

What is the recognition heuristic?

It operates when comparing the relative frequency of two categories; if one is recognized and the other is not, the recognized category is concluded to have higher frequency.

What is the anchoring and adjustment heuristic?

In decision making, it involves starting with a first approximation (anchor) and making adjustments based on additional information.

What is a confidence interval?

The range within which we expect a number to fall a certain percentage of the time.

What is ecological rationality?

Describes how people create various heuristics to make useful, adaptive decisions in the real world.

What is the default heuristic?

The tendency to choose a standard option if people do nothing.

What is the framing effect?

The influence of background context and wording on the outcome of a decision.

What is prospect theory?

Refers to people's tendencies to perceive possible gains differently from possible losses.

What does overconfidence mean?

Having confidence judgments that are higher than they should be based on actual performance.

What is the planning fallacy?

The tendency to underestimate the time or money required to complete a project.

What is my-side bias?

The overconfidence that one's own view is correct in confrontational situations.

What is hindsight bias?

The tendency to believe that an event was inevitable after it has happened.

What are maximizers?

People who examine as many options as possible in decision-making.

What are satisficers?

People who settle for something that is satisfactory rather than seeking the best option.