Thinking and Language

Cognition•

Maybe by studying the way we think, we can eventually think better.

Does the way we think really matter?

Concepts• A mental….

In order to think about the world, we form……..

SchemasThese animals all look different, but they fall under our concept of “dogs”.

What is a schema?

• A schema is a set of ideas about something. Our ____________

• What is your schema for an office?

• People were asked what they remembered about this picture.

• 29 out of 30 recalled Chair, desk, and walls

• Only 8 subjects recalled it had a skull

• 9 subjects recalled it had books which it did not

• Memory for location is influenced by the person’s schema for that location.

Prototypes• A__________________

___________

We base our concepts on ….

• If a new object is similar to our prototype, we are better able to recognize it.

• Which bird is a prototypical bird?

How do we solve problems?

Trial and Error

Algorithms• A

____________________________

• Usually by using a formula.

• They work but are sometimes impractical.

• Sheldon

Guess my phone number using an algorithm.

• 000-000-0000• 000-000-0001• 000-000-0002• 000-000-0003• 000-000-0004• Algorithms are slow, but eventually

accurate. Computers use algorithms.

Heuristics• A

__________________________________________________________

• Who would you trust to baby sit your child?

Who would you trust to baby-sit your child?

Your answer is based on your heuristic of their appearances.

Heuristics• A rule of thumb

that generally, but not always, can be used to make a judgment to solve a problem.

• It’s a short cut.• It is fast, but is…• Prone to errors

Insight• A ____________

• No real strategy involved

What are some obstacles to problem solving?

Confirmation Bias• A

_________________________

For example, if you believe that during a full moon there is an increase in admissions to the emergency room where you work, you will take notice of admissions during a full moon, but be inattentive to the moon when admissions occur during other nights of the month.

Mental Set• A _______________________• May or may not be a good

thing.

Functional Fixedness

• The tendency to _____________________

What are some things I can do with this quarter (other than spend it)?

Barriers: Functional Fixedness

Functional fixedness: unable to think of unusual or unique uses for objects

Divergent thinking, Convergent thinking

• Divergent thinking is ____________

• Convergent thinking is _______

Types of Heuristics

Representativeness Heuristic

• A rule of thumb for judging the likelihood of things in terms of how well they___________

• Can cause us to ignore important information.

Below is Linda. She loves books and hates loud noises. Is Linda a librarian or a beautician?

Availability Heuristic• Estimating the

likelihood of events based on _______________

• If it comes to mind easily (maybe a vivid event) we presume it is common.

Tornadoes

• People over-estimate the likelihood of getting killed by a tornado because of the availability heuristic.

Overconfidence• The tendency

to be ___________

• To overestimate the accuracy of your beliefs and judgments.Considering “overconfidence” do you

want to risk 1 million dollars on an audience poll?

Framing• 90% of the population will be

saved with this medication…..or

• 10% of the population will die despite this medication.

• You should not drink more than two drinks per day….or

• You should not drink more than

730 drinks a year.

• The way a problem is presented can drastically affect the way we view it.

Belief Bias1. Democrats

support free speech

• The tendency for one’s preexisting beliefs to___________

• Sometimes making invalid conclusions valid or vice versa.

2.Dictators are not Democrats.

3. Republicans are not Democrats.

Conclusion: Republicans do not support free speech.

Belief Perseverance• Clinging to

your initial conceptions after the basis on which they were formed has been discredited.

All Cowboys fans who still believe that this is their year are suffering from belief perseverance.

• 1.The belief that the probability of heads is higher after a long string of tails:

• A. is rational and accurate• B. is an example of “gambler’s fallacy”• C. reflects the influence of the

representatives heuristic.• D. b and c

• 2. A heuristic is:• A. a flash of insight• B. guiding principle or rule of thumb used

in problem solving• C. a methodical procedure for trying all

possible solutions to a problem.• D. a way of making a compensatory

decision.

• 3. The more confident you are about your predictions of upcoming events in your life:

• A. the more likely it is that your predictions are accurate

• B. the less likely it is that your predictions are overconfident

• C. the more likely it is that your predictions are overconfident

• D. a and b

D, B, C