AP Psychology Unit 2B: Thinking, Problem-Solving, Judgements, and Decision Making

Concept

Mental groups of similar objects, events, ideas, or people.

Prototype

The best example of a concept.

Schema

Concepts or mental frameworks that organize and interpret information.

Assimilation

Interpreting new experiences in terms of existing schemas.

Accommodation

Adapting current understandings to incorporate new information.

Algorithm

A problem-solving strategy that attempts all possible solutions until the correct one is found.

Heuristics

Mental shortcuts used to address problems and make judgements.

Representative heuristic

Making decisions based on prior experiences or stereotypes.

Availability heuristic

Making decisions by recalling the most vivid examples that come to mind.

Mental set

A tendency to see solutions that have worked in the past.

Priming

Exposure to one stimulus influences a response to a subsequent stimulus.

Framing

Different presentations of the same information may evoke different emotions.

Gambler's fallacy

The belief that the odds of a chance event increase if it hasn't occurred recently.

Sunk-cost fallacy

Making decisions based on previous investments in a situation.

Executive functions

Mental processes that allow individuals to plan and carry out goal-directed behaviors.

Creativity

Includes characteristics like expertise, imaginative thinking skills, and intrinsic motivation.

Divergent thinking

Expands the number of possible problem solutions.

Convergent thinking

Narrows down available solutions to find the single best answer.

Functional fixedness

A cognitive bias that limits the ways an object can be used.

Critical thinking

The objective analysis and evaluation of information to form sound judgments.