thinking, decision making, & language

cognition

all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, & communicating

concepts

mental groupings of similar objects, events, ideas, or people

prototypes

mental image of a best example of a category

categorization aids rapid recognition but leads to

stereotyping & discrimination

what are characteristics of thinking & decision making?

• implicit process

• unobservable

• multivariate

• interactive

normative models

describe the way thinking SHOULD be — conditions are optimal

utility theory

choices should be based on the option that maximizes benefit & minimizes harm

descriptive models

seek to accurately describe irl thinking patterns of individuals in controlled contexts

algorithm

all operations required to make a decision are specified in order which deductively arrives at an outcome

heuristics

mental shortcuts, cognitive strategies or procedures to refine decision making or problem solving based on experience

how do huerstics save time?

they skip steps algorithms make

what are heuristics based on?

probabilities and inferences

use of heuristics can lead to?

cognitive biases

confirmation bias

a tendency to search for info that supports our preconceptions & ignore or distort contradictory evidence