FINAL EXAM Flashcards
(383 cards)
What is cognition?
Mental activities and processes associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating information
What is Paget’s definition of cognition?
Assimilation and accommodation
What is a concept?
The mental grouping of similar objects
What is conceptual art?
When the idea referred is more important than the art itself
How are concepts formed?
Through prototypes
What is a prototype?
A mental image of the best example of a concept
Where do prototypical categories originate from?
Evolution (safe vs. dangerous)
What is F.A.B.?
Fundamental attribution bias
When do prototypes fail?
When examples stretch beyond definition, the boundary between concepts is fuzzy, or examples contradict prototypes
What is problem solving?
The thinking we do in order to answer a complex question/to figure out how to resolve an unfavorable situation
What are the different kinds of problem solving?
Trial & error, algorithms, heuristics, and insight
What is trial & error?
Trying various solutions and and, if that fails, trying others
What is the downside of trial & error?
It takes a long time
What is a heuristic?
A short-cut, step-saving thinking strategy or principle that generates a solution quickly
What is the downside of heuristics?
They may be inaccurate
What is an algorithm?
A step-by-step strategy for solving a problem, methodically leading to a specific solution
What is insight?
A sudden realization, leap forward in thinking that leads to a solution
What did Kanneman and Tversky study?
Human problem solving
What award was given to Kanneman and Tversky?
A nobel prize in economics
What are the three steps of insight?
- Extra frontal lobe activity
- Experiencing “aha” moment and stating answer
- Burst of activity in right temporal lobe (area for receiving language)
What is a mental set?
The tendency to approach problems using a mindset that has worked previously, relying on assimilation rather than accommodation
What is a fixation?
The tendency to get stuck in one way of thinking/inability to see problem from a new perspective, a.k.a. unsuccessful assimilation
What is an availability heuristic?
To estimate the likelihood of of an event based on how much it stands out in our mind (type of mental set)
What is weighted attention?
An availability heuristic that influences the focus of attention (ex. danger of planes vs. motorcycles)