Cognition Unit IB Psychology SL

Metacognition

Thinking about your thinking, we do this as we learn about how our thinking works

Concept/schema

Mental grouping/representation of similar objects, events, ideas, and people

Prototypes

Best example you have of a specific concept/schema

Images

Mental pictures you create in your head

Algorithms

Systematic (step by step) procedures that guarantee a solution but may take longer

Heuristics

Shortcuts: quick thinking strategies that are faster than algorithms but have more chance for error

Insight

A sudden realization of a solution (Aha! moments)

Reasoning

The act of thinking about something in a logical way

Inductive Reasoning

Reasoning from specific to general

Deductive Reasoning

Reasoning from general to specific

Creativity

The ability to produce new and valuable ideas

Divergent Thinking

When a question has several or many possible responses, you consider all

Convergent Thinking

When a question invites only one answer, limits creativity

System 1 (Dual Processing Model)

Intuitive thinking: effortless, automatic, relies on heuristics, creates impressions, emotional, prone to error

System 2 (Dual Processing Model)

Rational thinking: effortful, relies on sensory evidence, slow, less error

Stroop Effect

Tendency to experience difficulty naming a physical color when it is used to spell the name of a different color

Availability Heuristic

We make judgements based on how easily it comes to mind

Representative Heuristic

We judge something on how well it fits our prototype (comparing it to our mental category)

Anchoring Heuristic

Judge based on 1st information provided

Mental Set

Predisposed way of thinking. We tend to handle new problems with the way we’ve dealt with others

Functional Fixedness

Inability to see a new use for a familiar object

Confirmation Bias

To look for evidence that supports beliefs and ignore anything that doesn’t

Belief Perseverance

Tendency to maintain belief even after receiving contradictory evidence

Overconfidence Bias

Tendency to overestimate our accuracy and judgements

Hindsight Bias

Belief after learning an outcome that you could have foreseen it

False Consensus Effect

Overestimation of how much people agree with us

Framing

How an issue is presented can change how we view a problem

Cognitive Dissonance

An uncomfortable state of mind arising when you recognize inconsistencies in your beliefs and/or behaviors

Peak End Rule

A psychological heuristic that changes the way we recall past events. We remember a memory or judge an experience based on how they felt at the peak moments, as well as how they felt at the end