PSY08 - Thinking & Decision Making

Thinking

The mental manipulation of representations of information encountered in our environments.

Analogical Representations

Mental representations that retain some physical characteristics of actual objects (e.g., a visual image of a violin).

Symbolic Representations

Abstract mental representations consisting of words, numbers, or ideas that do not resemble physical object characteristics.

Mental Maps

Cognitive representations of spatial environments that combine both analogical and symbolic representations.

Schemas

Mental structures—collections of prior knowledge, ideas, and experiences—that organize information and guide thoughts and behaviors.

Concepts

Mental representations used to categorize related objects, events, or ideas based on shared features.

Prototype Model

A model of categorization where a category is represented by a single best or most typical example.

Exemplar Model

A model of categorization where an item's category membership is judged by comparing it to all stored individual memories (exemplars) of that category.

Stereotypes

Schemas that allow for fast, automatic processing of information about people or groups based on group membership.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to pay attention to evidence that supports existing beliefs while ignoring or downplaying contradicting evidence.

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe, after an outcome has occurred, that you predicted or would have predicted it.

Illusory Correlation

The misperception that two chance events occurring at the same time are causally or logically related.

Heuristic

A mental shortcut or rule of thumb used to simplify and speed up decision making.

Availability Heuristic

Making a decision or estimating risk based on how easily relevant information comes to mind.

Representativeness Heuristic

Categorizing people or objects based on how closely they resemble a typical prototype of that category.

Affective Heuristic

Making decisions based on current emotional states or predictions of future feelings (affective forecasting).

Framing

The way information is presented, which significantly influences how it is perceived and what decisions are made.

Bias Blind Spot

The tendency to easily recognize cognitive biases in others while remaining unaware of one's own biases.

Illusion of Depth

The biased belief that we understand complex concepts or mechanisms far better than we actually do.

Maximizers

Decision-makers who attempt to analyze every available option to make the absolute perfect choice.

Satisficers

Decision-makers who select an option as soon as it meets a "good enough" threshold.