AP Psych Unit 2 Thinking & Problem Solving

Schema

Framework for thinking

A schema is modified through?

• Assimilation

• Accommodation

Assimilation

Taking in new information but not changing the schema in the light of it

Accommodation

Taking in new information and changing the schema to incorporate the new information

Strategies for problem solving

• Algorithms

• Heuristics

Algorithms

Step by step procedures that guarantee a solution to certain types of problems

Heuristics

A rule of thumb- a rule that is generally but not always, true that we can use to make a judgement in a situation

Types of heuristics

• Availability heuristic

• Representativeness heuristic

Availability heuristic

A tendency to estimate the probability of certain events in terms of how readily they come to mind

Representativeness heuristic

A tendency to judge the likelihood of things according to how they relate to a prototype

Heuristics can cause?

• Overconfidence

• Belief perseverance

Obstacles to problem solving

• Rigidity/ mental set

• Functional fixedness

• Confirmation bias

• Framing

Rigidity/mental set

The tendency to fall into established thought patterns

Functional fixedness

The inability to see a new use for an object

Confirmation bias

A tendency to search for and use information that supports our preconceptions and ignore information that refutes our ideas

Framing

The way a problem is presented

Decision making

• Gambler’s fallacy

• Sunk cost fallacy

Gambler’s fallacy

A failure to recognize the independence of chance events, leading to the mistaken belief that one can predict the outcome of a chance event on the basis of the outcomes of past chance events

Sunk cost fallacy

The phenomenon whereby a person is reluctant to abandon a strategy or course of action because they have invested heavily in it, even when it is clear that abandonment would be more beneficial

Executive functions

Cognitive processes that allow individuals to generate, organize, plan, and carry-out goal-directed behaviors and experience critical thinking

Creativity

• Convergent thinking

• Divergent thinking

Convergent thinking

Thinking pointed toward one solution

Divergent thinking

Thinking that searches for multiple possible answers to a question