Unit 2: Thinking, Problem Solving, Judgements

Concepts

Mental groupings of similar things (like objects, events, or people)

EX: the concept of "fruit" includes apples, bananas, and oranges

Prototypes

Best or most typical example of a concept

EX: when you think of a "bird", you might picture a robin, not a penguin

Schemas

Mental frameworks that organize information and help us understand the world

EX: you have a "birthday party" schema - cake, candles, gifts, singing

Assimilation

Fitting new information into existing schemas

EX: putting Model 3 Tesla into "Car" schema

Accommodation

Changing your schema to fit new information

EX: creating new "SUV" schema for big cars

Executive Function

Mental skills for planning, focusing, and controlling impulses

EX: staying focused on homework instead of getting distracted your phone

Creativity

Thinking in new and valuable ways

EX: coming up with a new way to reuse old bottles as planters

Divergent Thinking

Generating many possible solutions

EX: brainstorming all the valuable uses for a paperclip

Convergent Thinking

Narrowing down to one best solution

EX: picking the single correct answer on a math test

Algorithms

Step-by-step methods that guarantee an answer

EX: trying every possible PIN combination to unlock a phone

Heuristics

Mental shortcuts that save time but aren't always accurate

EX: guessing your friend's PIN is their birthday

Functional Fixedness

Seeing things only in their usual function

EX: not realizing you can use a coin to turn a screw

Mental Set

Using old solutions that used to work but might not now

EX: trying the same math strategy even when it doesn't fit the new problem

Priming

Exposure to one idea influences how you think about another

EX: after seeing the word "yellow, you recognize the word "banana" faster

Representativeness Heuristic

Judging something by how well it matches a prototype

EX: assuming a quiet person wearing glasses is a librarian, not a rock star

Availability Heuristic

Judging based on what easily comes to mind

EX: thinking place crashes are common because you saw one on the news

Framing

How a question or issue is worded affects decisions

EX: people prefer "90% fat-free" over "10% fat," even though they mean the same thing

Gambler's Fallacy

Believing past events affect future chance outcomes

EX: thinking a coin is "due" to land heads after 5 tails in a row

Sunk-Cost Fallacy

Sticking with something because you already invested in it

EX: finishing a bad movie just because you paid for the ticket