Cognition and language 1

Thinking 

Manipulating mental representations (images or words) for a purpose 

• Contextual: remembering, reasoning, believing, concentrating, imagining, problem solving 

• Cognition involves using internal representations to work toward a goal 

Problem solving 

Transforming an initial problem state into a goal/solution state using operators (actions or steps) 

Types of problem solving 

Problem-Solving strategies 

Obstacles to Problem Solving 

1. Fixation 

2. Mental set 

3. Functional fixedness 

4. Negative transfer 

5. Focusing on irrelevant info 

Fixation 

Inability to see a problem from a new perspective 

Mental set  

Continuing to use a strategy that worked before even when it is not suitable for the current problem 

Functional fixedness 

Seeing an object only in terms of its usual function, making alternative uses harder to notice 

Negative transfer 

Prior learning makes learning, remembering, or solving a new problem more difficult 

Focusing on irrelevant info 

Failing to separate info that matters for the solution from info that does not 

Aids to Problem Solving 

1. Positive transfer 

2. Analogy 

3. Incubation  

Positive transfer 

Previous learning or experience helps solve a new problem 

Analogy 

Recognising that a current problem is similar in structure to a problem solved previously 

Incubation 

Temporarily stepping away or ‘clearing your head’ 

• Returning later may help a solution emerge 

Heuristics 

Reduce cognitive effort by allowing fast judgments but their shortcuts can produce systematic errors 

Types of heuristics 

Decision-making biases 

Cognitive economy 

Reducing cognitive effort through efficient mental shortcuts/simplified processing 

• Heuristics allow quick decisions without analysing every possible piece of info 

• Trade-off: efficiency saves time and mental resources, but can increase bias and judgment errors 

Objects 

Classified into groups based on their properties

Category 

Collection of objects, actions and characteristics that share core properties 

Concept 

Knowledge you have about a particular category 

Defining features 

Qualities that are essential for membership 

Characteristic features 

Qualities that are typical of members 

Prototype 

An abstraction across many instances of a category of things 

Categorisation 

Recognising an object as a member of a category 

Schema 

Complex mental representations of people objects and situations that influence world-processing