Metacognition
thinking about your own thinking
Concepts
mental groupings of similar objects, events, ideas, or people to make sense of an environment and experiences.
Prototype
a mental image of the best example of a category to later on classify new information. (influenced by background, culture, language)
(a prototype for the category “bird” might be a robin)
Critical Thinking
the ability to analyze, evaluate, and interpret information objectively and rationally as well as develop opinions and beliefs. All using concepts and prototypes.
Assimilation
cog. process of integrating new information into existing schemas without changing them, so it fits with what is already known.
ex: A child who has a schema for “dog” might see a horse and call it “dog,” since it is a four-legged animal that fits their existing schema.
Accommodation
taking in new information and changing the scheme to incorporate the new information (understanding a Ocean Vs. a Lake)
executive functions
set of cognitive processes that help us manage / coordinate our thoughts and actions to adapt to new situations, plan, organize, and regulate emotions to achieve goals. Carried out by the prefrontal cortex. (planning a study Schedule)
Trial-and-error
trying different solutions (doing a puzzle)
Algorithms
Specific step-by-step instructions for a performance, problem, or task (recipe)
Heuristics
“rules of thumb” → fast, but can be incorrect. They are logical assumptions.
Representative heuristics
a cognitive shortcut where people make judgments about an event or person based on how well it matches a mental prototype or stereotype, often ignoring relevant statistical information (bias –> assumption)
Mental Set
approaching decision making in a particular way based on past experiences.
-can both facilitate and inhibit creativity.
Priming
exposure to a specific stimulus (e.g., a word, image, or event) unconsciously influences how individuals perceive, interpret, or respond to subsequent stimuli (watching a horror movie makes sounds more scary)
Availability heuristics
a cognitive bias where individuals estimate the probability or frequency of an event based on how easily they can recall examples of that event from their memory
(ex:A person who recently witnessed a car accident may believe that car accidents are more common than they actually are, due to the vividness of their memory)
Framing
cognitive bias in which the way information is worded influences how people perceive it and the decisions they make. (framing info/issues)
Gambler’s Fallacy
cognitive bias in which people believe that the outcomes of random events are influenced by previous outcomes when they’re actually independent. (ex coin landing heads 5 times and someone thinking it must land tails the next)
Sunk Cost Fallary
cognitive bias in which people continue investing time, money, or effort into a project because they have already invested significantly even when continuing isn’t rational (lots of businesses)
Creativity
ability to produce novel and valuable ideas. A benefit of cognitive biases
Convergent Thinking
limits creativity w/ only one answer. Influences creativity.
Divergent Thinking
enhances creativity w/several - many possible responses. Influences creativity.
Functional fixedness
cognitive bias limiting a person’s ability to see alternative uses for similar objects or thinking in novel ways. Shows a lack of creativity.
