AP Psychology Thinking/Problem Solving

Cognition

Mental activities involved with thinking, memory and communication.

Metacognition

Thinking of your own thinking.

Concepts

Mental groupings of similar things.

Prototype

Best mental image or example of something.

Assimilate

Interpreting new ideas.

Accomodation

Adapting schemas for new information.

Creativity

Ability to produce new ideas.

Convergent Thinking

Elimination of solutions to find the best answer.

Divergent Thinking

Thinking creatively of many solutions.

Schema

An outline for information.

Executive Functions

Higher-level processing (thinking, self-control, and organizing thoughts).

Algorithm

Step-by-step procedures that guarantee a solution.

Heuristic

A strategy that helps solve problems quickly.

Insight

A sudden moment of realization.

Conformation Bias

Searching for supporting evidence and ignoring opposing evidence.

Fixation

Inability to see from a different perspective.

Mental Set

Solving a problem the way the same way as solved in the past.

Intuition

Gut-type feeling of thinking.

Representative Heuristic

Judging something by how well the prototype fits.

Availability Heuristic

Judging by examples that easily come to mind.

Overconfidence

More confidence than being correct.

Belief Perseverance

Sticking to a belief even after it has been disproved.

Framing

The way an issue is presented can influence decisions.

Nudge

A subtle suggestion that influences decision-making.