Brain and Cognition Module 3 Chapter 17 Decisions, Judgments, and Reasoning

Syllogisms

Logical arguments consisting of two premises and a conclusion, used to test deductive reasoning.

Belief Bias

The tendency to accept or reject conclusions based on beliefs rather than logic.

Conditional Reasoning

Reasoning that involves "if-then" statements to determine conclusions.

Antecedent

The "if" part of a conditional statement.

Consequent

The "then" part of a conditional statement.

Modus Ponens

A valid form of reasoning: If P, then Q. P is true, therefore Q is true.

Modus Tollens

A valid form of reasoning: If P, then Q. Q is false, therefore P is false.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to seek or interpret evidence in ways that support existing beliefs.

Mental Models

Cognitive representations of real or hypothetical situations used in reasoning and problem solving.

Hypothesis Testing

Assessing assumptions or theories by gathering and evaluating evidence.

If–Then Problems

Logical scenarios involving conditional statements used to test reasoning.

Psychophysics

The study of the relationship between physical stimuli and mental perceptions.

JND

The Just Noticeable Difference; the smallest detectable difference between two stimuli.

Distance Effect

The tendency for judgment accuracy to improve as the difference between choices increases.

Discriminability Effect

Improved ability to distinguish between items as their differences become more apparent.

Symbolic Distance

The mental gap between concepts that affects decision speed and accuracy.

Semantic Congruity

The tendency for response times to be faster when the comparison direction matches the context.

SNARC Imagery

The Spatial-Numerical Association of Response Codes; the idea that numbers are mentally mapped spatially.

Semantic Orderings

The arrangement of concepts based on meaning, affecting reasoning and comparison.

Geographical Distance

The perceived or actual spatial separation between places, which can affect reasoning.

Algorithm

A step-by-step procedure guaranteed to produce a correct answer if followed correctly.

Heuristic

A mental shortcut or rule of thumb used to make quick decisions or solve problems.

Normative Model

A model of ideal reasoning or decision making based on logic or probability theory.

Descriptive Model

A model that describes how people actually reason or make decisions, often including biases.

The Representative Heuristic

A judgment strategy where people estimate likelihood based on how typical something seems.

Insensitivity to Sample Size

The error of ignoring how sample size affects reliability in judgment.

Law of Small Numbers

The mistaken belief that small samples reflect the true population characteristics.

Law of Large Numbers

The statistical principle that larger samples better estimate population parameters.

Stereotypes

Generalized beliefs about a group of people that affect judgments and reasoning.

Beliefs

Convictions or acceptances that certain things are true or real.

Availability Heuristic

A mental shortcut where people judge likelihood based on how easily examples come to mind.

Anchoring and Adjusting Heuristic

Estimating values by starting from an initial anchor and making adjustments.

Familiarity Bias

The tendency to prefer or judge familiar items as better or more correct.

Salience or Vividness Bias

The tendency to overestimate the importance of information that is vivid or emotionally striking.

Simulation Heuristic

Evaluating the likelihood of an event based on how easily one can imagine it happening.

Counterfactual Reasoning

Thinking about alternative outcomes to events that have already happened.

Downhill Change

A type of counterfactual reasoning where events are imagined to be more normal or expected.

Blaming the Victim

Attributing fault to victims for their own misfortunes due to hindsight or just-world beliefs.

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe, after the outcome is known, that one would have predicted it.

Simulation Heuristic

A bias where imagined scenarios influence judgments about likelihood and causality.

Satisficing

Making a decision that is "good enough" rather than optimal, especially under constraints.

Recognition Heuristic

Choosing the recognized option when faced with two choices, assuming it is more likely correct.

“Take the Best”

Heuristic strategy that uses only the most important cue that discriminates between options.

Conjunction Fallacy

The mistaken belief that a combination of events is more likely than a single event.

Naive Physics

Intuitive beliefs about how the physical world works, often incorrect.

Prototypicality Heuristic

Assessing category membership based on similarity to the most typical example.