Unit 2B_ Thinking, Problem-Solving, Judgments, and Decision Making

Unit 2B: Thinking, Problem-Solving, Judgments, and Decision Making

Key Concepts

  • Concepts: Mental groups of similar objects, events, ideas, or people.

  • Prototypes: The best example of a concept.

  • Schemas: Concepts or mental frameworks that organize and interpret information.

Processes in Cognitive Functioning

  • Assimilation: Interpreting new experiences using existing schemas.

    • Example: A child seeing a dog for the first time might describe it as a big cat or a cat that barks.

  • Accommodation: Adapting current schemas to incorporate new information.

    • Example: A child modifies their understanding to recognize that dogs and cats belong to different categories of four-legged animals.

Problem-Solving Strategies

  • Algorithms: A systematic problem-solving strategy that tries all possible solutions until the correct one is found.

  • Heuristics: Mental shortcuts that facilitate decision making.

    • Representative Heuristic: Making decisions based on prior experiences or stereotypes.

    • Availability Heuristic: Judging the likelihood of events based on how readily examples come to mind; often leading to overestimation.

Cognitive Biases

  • Mental Set: The tendency to see solutions that have previously worked.

  • Priming: Exposure to one stimulus influencing response to a subsequent stimulus, without conscious awareness.

  • Framing: The way information is presented can evoke different emotional responses.

    • Example: "90% fat free" is more appealing than "10% fat."

  • Gambler's Fallacy: The belief that the chances of a chance event increase when it hasn't occurred recently.

  • Sunk-Cost Fallacy: Decisions influenced by prior investments in a situation, regardless of current circumstances.

Executive Functions and Thinking Styles

  • Executive Functions: Mental processes that enable individuals to organize, plan, and execute goal-directed behaviors while engaging in critical thinking.

  • Creativity: Characterized by:

    • Expertise in a given area

    • Imaginative thinking skills

    • A venturesome personality

    • Intrinsic motivation

    • A creative environment

  • Divergent Thinking: Expands the number of possible solutions to a problem.

  • Convergent Thinking: Narrows down the available solutions to find the single best solution.

  • Functional Fixedness: A cognitive bias that restricts the use of an object to its traditional function, hindering problem-solving abilities.

  • Critical Thinking: An objective analysis and evaluation process leading to sound judgments.