Chapter 7: Cognition Flashcards by Avanley Danenhauer

What is mental imagery?

Representations that stand for objects or events and have picture-like quality

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Give and example of mental imagery

Map of locations (mountains, rocks, villages, etc.)

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What are concepts?

Ideas that represent a class or category of objects, events, and activities

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What are superordinate concepts?

Most general form of a concept, members are minimally similar

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Give an example of a superordinate concept

Furniture

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What are basic concepts?

Highest class that can be represented by a single mental image

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What are subordinate concepts?

Members are less distinct from one another

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Give an example of a basic concept

Chair

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Give an example of a subordinate concept

Rocking chair

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What are formal concepts?

Defined by specific rules or features

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Give an example of a formal concept

A square has 4 equal sides, and 4 90 degree angles

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What are natural concepts?

Formed as a result of experience in the real world

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Give an example of a natural concept

Is a platypus a bird or a fish? We would not know if we wouldn’t have been taught it

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What is problem solving?

Thinking and behaving in certain ways to reach a goal

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What is trial and error problem solving?

Trying one possible solution after another until a successful one is found

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Give an example of trial and error problem solving

Trying to log in into a website account with different passwords

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What is algorithm problem solving?

Step by step strategies that guarantee a solution, but may be time-consuming

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Give an example of algorithm problem solving

Solving a derivative in calculus using chain rule

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What is heuristic problem solving?

Saving time by skipping steps to solve a problem, may not lead to solution

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Give an example of heuristic problem solving

Looking for your keys in a house by only looking in places your keys would accurately be in

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What is means-end analysis?

Breaking down a large goal into smaller, more manageable goals

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Give an example of means-end analysis

Essay due: research –> making outline –> writing intro paragraph –> essay

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What is working backwards?

Starting with desired outcome and working backwards to current situation

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Give an example of working backwards

Going to college to get a degree to become nurse

What is searching for analogies?

Employ same kind of strategies used to solve similar problems

Give example of searching for analogies

Fixing NASA telescope to get clearer, better quality pictures

What is modifying your representation of the problem?

Focusing on different aspects of the problem

Give an example of modifying your representation of the problem

Landing Apollo 13 by focusing on what parts of the shuttle were working, not ones that weren't

_____ amounts of knowledge an expert has about their area increases their ______ ______.

Enormous, chunking capacity

What is insight?

"Sudden" realization regarding the solution to a problem, "AHA moment"

What is the process of the aha moment?

Alter assumptions about solutions, conceive of problem differently, and receive new connections among facts

What is functional fixedness?

Failure to use familiar objects in novel ways

Give example of functional fixedness

Using a shoe to put a nail in the wall if you don't have a hammer

What is mental set?

Tendency to persist in using problem-solving patterns that have worked in the past

What are availability heuristics?

Making judgements about certain outcomes based on how easily we can produce examples of outcome

Give an example of availability heuristics

Wanting to buy the same kind of car as your friend, but your friend says the gas mileage is not good so you do not buy the car

What are representativeness heuristics?

Judging probability based one how well an option seems to exhibit representative characteristics

Give an example of representativeness heuristics

Base rate

What is base rate?

Prevalence of a trait in the target population

Give an example of base rate

Do plumbers or librarians write more poetry? Plumbers do because there are more plumbers in the population than librarians though they would write more poetry

What is the gambler's fallacy?

Mistaken belief that the probabilities of independent events are actually related

Give an example of the gambler's fallacy

Flipping a coin and thinking it's going to land on tails because it has landed on tails the past two times even tho the coin is always going to land on heads/tails 50% of the time

What is anchoring and adjustment?

Establishing baseline for evaluation and adjusting one's judgment according to that baseline

Give an example of anchoring and adjustment

Asking subjects how long they think the Mississippi River is after giving them two different baselines

What is overconfidence?

People's confidence in their own knowledge and ability exceeds their actual knowledge and ability

Give an example of overconfidence

Putting on makeup in the car because they believe that they are a good enough driver to do so

What is confirmation bias?

We tend to see what we expect to see because we tend to search only for evidence that supports their hunch (not contradicts)

Give an example of confirmation bias

Believing in having a "hot hand" in basketball, cannot miss a shot and disregarding scientific evidence that a "hot hand" cannot exist

What is decision making?

Evaluating alternative actions and choosing the appropriate one

What is bounded rationality?

When we cannot know everything there is to know about a situation, we are rational within the boundaries of knowledge

What is elimination by aspects?

Focusing on key aspects and eliminating all alternatives that do not meet criteria

Give an example of elimination by aspects

Buying a house based on price, age of house, etc.

What is satisficing?

Choosing the first alternative that satisfies our needs

Give an example of satisficing

Buying the first house that meets criteria without looking at all options

What is creativity?

Solving problems by combining ideas and behavior in new ways

What is convergent production?

Correct response

What is divergent production?

Possible response

Creativity may be _____ through training

Improved

What are creative characteristics?

Above average intelligence, not afraid to be different, and value independence