Physiology unit 3

Cognition/thinking

The mental activity that goes on in our brain when a person is processing, organizing, understanding information etc

It is a feature of human consciousness

cognitive psychology

A field of psych dedicated to studying thinking

Concepts

Categories or groups of linguistic info, images, ideas, or memories; used to see relationships across our experiences

Prototype

It is the best example or representation of a concept (ex. whatever comes to mind when you think cat)

Reasoning

The process of drawing inferences or conclusions from principles and evidence

Formal reasoning

A type of reasoning: are the rigorous steps taken to reach a valid conclusion

-Algorithms: step-by-step problem-solving procedure guaranteed to return a solution (ex. if a lamp isn’t working, you plug it in, if that doesn’t work you buy a new bulb, if that doesn’t work you replace the lamp).

Rational choice theory

In the situation that one is completely free to make their own concious decisions, they will weight out the cost/benefits/likelihood in order to determine if they will go through with a choice or not

Mental sets

The tendency to approach a problem the same way you have in the past, even though a new strategy might work better

Functional fixedness

Tendency to use familiar objects in familiar ways rather than creative ways

Heuristics

are time-saving mental shortcuts used for making judgements quickly and efficiently

biases occur…

When the mental shortcuts lead us to making errors in judgment

-conformation bias: tendency to search for or interpret info that confirms our preexisting beliefs

Information reasoning

The application of everyday knowledge, education, and thinking skills to analyze and evaluate information

Anchoring-adjustment (type of heuristic)

The tendency to set expectations based on a rough estimation (anchor) and to rate options above and below that average accordingly (adjustment)

Availability (type of heuristic)

Based on how easy it is to come up with examples of something occurring (ex. making yourself think you will be killed by a serial killer due to all of the true crime podcasts you listen to).

Representativeness (type of heuristic)

Used to identify something based on association with a category (ex. seeing a person in a suit and assuming they are important)

False consensus effect

The tendency to overestimate the extent to which others agree with us

A type of cognitive bias that causes people to see their own behavioral choices and judgements as relatively common and appropriate to existing conditions

conjunction fallacy

The tendency to think that two or more conclusions (in conjunction) are more likely than any single member of that same set alone

Optimism/ over-confidence

Overestimate rewards and ease of unfamiliar tasks

Underestimation/ complacency

Underestimate expenses/costs, timescale, complexity, and difficulty

Spotlight effect

The tendency to imagine actions and decisions are noticeable by others

can make a person afraid of making mistakes or cause consciousness

Intelligence

A mental ability that enables people to direct their thinking, adapt to their circumstances, and learn from experiences

Crystallized intelligence

Acquired knowledge and the ability to retrieve it; tends to inc with age

Fluid intelligence

The ability to see complex relationships and solve problems, tends to decrease with age

Triarchic theory: intelligence is comprised of 3 parts

Practical intelligence: finding solutions that work in everyday life by applying knowledge based on your experiences, “street smarts”

Analytical intelligence: ability to analyze, judge, evaluate, compare, and contrast, “academic problem solving”

Creative intelligence: inventing or imagining a solution to a problem or situation

Multiple intelligences

Each person possesses at least 8 different intelligences; a person typically excels in some and falters in others

Alfred Binet

He attempted ot identify school children with learning problems. The tests depended on reasoning, thinking and problem-solving and was aimed to test intelligence. The problem was it ended up being used to determine potential as well as just intelligence.

Dark history of intelligence testing

They argued IQ was hereditary and ended up encouraging sterilization of those with feeble minds so there intelligence (or supposed lack there of) wouldn’t be passed on

Aptitude tests

Measure a person’s readiness to learn and cognitive ability in particular areas (verbal, math)

Achievement tests

Measures what a person has accomplished (gained knowledge)

Intelligence tests

Attempt to measure IQ objectively in a standard manner