Topic 2.2 Thinking, Problem-Solving, Judgements, & Decision-Making

Cognition

All forms of awareness — percieving, remembering, imagining, judging, problem-solving

Difference between a concept and a prototype

Concepts are mental categories to organize the world (ex: ball)

Prototypes are basic examples of a concept (ex: basketball) to illustrate the concept

Schema

More complete frameworks to organize & interpret

Difference between assimilation and accommodation

Assimilation is fitting new info into existing schemas

Accommodation is changing a schema to add new info

Executive Functions

Cognitive processes that help carry out directed behavior & critical thinking (frontal lobe & prefrontal cortex)

Algorithms

When someone tackles a problem step by step in a systematic way (Ex: searching one room at a time or to find a phone)

Heuristics

A specific mental shortcut based on past experiences which can cause u to miss something

Representative Heuristics

Involves making judgements based on how much something represents a stereotype

Availability Heuristics

Involves making judgments based on how easily examples come to mind

Mental Set

A cognitive framework relying on past experiences and successful strategies to solve new problems (different from schemas that organize info)

Priming

Phenomenon where exposure to one stimulus influences how we respond to later stimulus (Ex: seeing food related items fills in blank for so_p)

Repetition Priming

When exposed to specific stimulus repeatedly, it makes it easier to recognize the same or similar stimulus later

Semantic Priming

Influence of one word on the interpretation of another, related word (Ex: doctor → nurse or hospital)

Framing

How info is presented shaping our interpretation of it (Ex: food labels framed to look healthier)

Difference between divergent thinking and convergent thinking

Divergent is many solutions to a problem which expands the option range

Convergent is narrowing down options for the best solutions

Robert Sternberg’s five components to creativity

1. Expertise → applying knowledge to innovation

2. Imagination → thinking outside the box

3. Intrinsic motive → drive for personal goals

4. Creative environment → fosters creativity

5. Functional fixedness → limiting creativity and only seeing traditional uses

Gambler’s Fallacy

Assuming past events affect future probabilities (Ex: thinking that there is a higher chance to win after constantly losing)

Sunk-cost Fallacy

Pursuing an action b/c there has been so much investment into it already even if it’s failing but don’t want it to feel like a waste