intro to psych module 7

prof kucinsky @ pitt

thinking (cognition)

mental activity that goes on in brain when a person is processing information

processing

includes organizing, understanding, and communicating information to others

attention

limited resource made up of a set of processes that control the flow of information through the nervous system

selective attention

selecting some sources of input for dedicated process

sustained attention

ability to maintain a state of alertness and focus for longer period of time

mental images

mental representations that stand for objects or events and have a picture-like quality

concepts

categories of linguistic information, images, ideas, or memories that are used to see relationships among different elements of experience. can be complex and abstract or concrete

prototype

the best example or representation of a concept, can be based on individual experience

example of prototype

Martin Luther King Jr may be a prototype for the category of civil disobedience or equity

natural concepts

created naturally through either direct or indirect experience e.g. our concept of snow

artificial concepts

defined by a specific set of characteristics e.g. properties of geometric shapes (squares, triangles, circles, etc)

part of brain associated with prototype theory

left hemisphere and visual cortex (holistic processing)

parts of brain associated with exemplars

right hemisphere, prefrontal cortex, and basil ganglia (analysis and decision making)

exemplar theory

we store many different individual examples (exemplars) of a category in our memory (ex. your neighbor's parrot or the penguins at the zoo)

schema

mental construct consisting of a collection of related concepts

what happens when a schema is activated?

we automatically make assumptions about the person, object, or situation

role schema

makes assumptions about how individuals in certain roles will behave

event schema (cognitive script)

set of routine or automatic behaviors that can vary across different cultures

why are event schemas difficult to change?

because they are automatic behaviors

trial and error

form of problem solving that continues to try different solutions until the problem is solved

algorithm

step-by-step problem solving formula

heuristic

general problem solving framework, ex shortcuts or rule of thumbs

working backwards

form of heuristic that begins by solving a problem by focusing on the end result first

sub-goaling

breaking large tasks into a series of smaller steps

when do people use heuristics?

• when one is faced with too much information - when time to make a decision is limited - when the decision to be made is unimportant - when there is access to little information to use in making the decision

string problem

you are in a room with two hanging cords and a table with a pair of pliers, a thumb tack, and a piece of paper. while holding onto one cord, you can't reach the other .how can you tie the two cords together?

string problem solution

Tie the pliers (or fold the paper around them) to the end of one cord so it becomes a small weight. Set that cord swinging like a pendulum. Walk to the other cord, hold it in one hand (or stand on the table if you need the reach), and wait. When the swinging cord comes back within reach, grab it and tie the two cords together.

Duncker's candle problem

you are in a room with a candle, a box of thumbtacks and some matches. How could you attach the candle to a corkboard wall without the wax dripping onto the floor?

Duncker's candle problem solution

Empty the box of thumbtacks.

Use the thumbtacks to tack the (now-empty) box to the corkboard so the box’s open side faces up like a little shelf. Place the candle inside the box and light it. The box catches any dripping wax, so nothing falls to the floor

functional fixedness

can only see objects being used in the way you are used to seeing them; can't see ways to use objects other than what they are designed for