Chapter 10

- “Cogito ergo sum” (I think, therefore I am)

-Rene Descartes

-“Many people would sooner die than think. In fact they do.”

-Bertrand Russell

Cognition - Mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

Cognitive psychologists study these mental activities

concept formationproblem solvingdecision makingjudgment formation

Concepts - Mental representation of a group or category that shares similar characteristics

How we learn concepts a. Artificial concepts/definitions are formed by logical, specific rules.b. Natural concepts/prototypes have characteristic rather than defining features.c. Hierarchies help us group concepts into subcategories within broader categories.

-Require specific rules-Usually abstract ideas-Usually explicitly learned

What are the rules that determine if something is a “square” or not?

-Uses characteristics instead of rules-Observational-Usually implicitly learned

Prototype – A mental image or best example that incorporates all of the features associated with a category

Hierarchies help us organize concepts into groups and subdivide big concepts into more specific ones

Trial and ErrorA problem-solving strategy in which several solutions are attempted until one is found that worksAlgorithmA problem-solving procedure that is guaranteed to produce a solutionHeuristicA mental shortcut that allows one to make judgments that are quick but often in error

-Step by step process-Assesses every possible solution-Guaranteed to produce a correct answer-Used by computer programs

Examples: -Working backward-Searching for analogies-Breaking a big problem into smaller problems

Simple problem solving strategies

-Faster than algorithms-Often faulty

ENQEUWhat word is this?How do you know?

-When an answer comes to you instantly-Not a conscious problem solving strategy-An “A-ha!” or “Eureka!” moment

In what year did George Washington sign the Declaration of Independence?

A tendency to overestimate the accuracy of our judgments

The inability to see a problem from a fresh perspective

What is a four-letter sport that starts with a T?

Family Guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk81yzaurGw

The tendency to think only of the familiar use for an object without considering alternative uses.

Bruce Lee on Functional Fixedness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii-MLjI5Fyc

Linda is 31, single, outspoken, and very bright. She majored in Philosophy and Women’s Studies in college. As a students, she was deeply concerned with discrimination and other social issues, and she participated in protests.

Which statement is more likely?

A – Linda is a bank tellerB – Linda is a bank teller and is active in the feminist movement

Judging the likelihood of things or objects in terms of how well they seem to represent, or match, a particular prototype.

Don’t judge a book by its cover!

All accidents or Strokes?Asthma or Electrocution?

Homicide or Diabetes?Motor Vehicle Accidents or Cancer of the digestive

system?Appendicitis or Lightning?Drowning or Leukemia?

55,000 - All accidents or Strokes? – 102,000 920 - Asthma or Electrocution? – 5009,200 - Homicide or Diabetes? 19,000

27,000 - Motor Vehicle Accidents or Cancer of the digestive system? 46,400

440 - Appendicitis or Lightning? - 523,600 - Drowning or Leukemia? – 7,100

*figures per million deaths

Information is often perceived as correct if it is easily retrieved.

Bears are higher on the food chain, therefore they are more dangerous to people than deer, which is a prey animal.

A new disease is sweeping the world. 10 out of every 1000 children die from this disease. There is a vaccine that effectively stops the disease, but the vaccine is also a risk because it has been shown to cause a reaction that kills 5 out of every 1000 children that use it.

Would you use it? Would you have your younger siblings use it?

What if the question were asked this way:

A new deadly disease is sweeping the world. An imperfect vaccine exists that doubles one’s chance of survival if they take it.

Would you use it? Would you have your younger siblings use it?

The way a problem is presented can cause people to respond to it in irrational ways.

-Some of the beekeepers are artists.- None of the chemists are beekeepers.-Therefore, some of the artists are not Chemists.

-Some birds can swim-No fish are birds-Therefore, some animals that can swim are not fish.

-Some of the beekeepers are artists.- None of the chemists are beekeepers.-Therefore, some of the artists are not chemists.

-Some birds can swim-No fish are birds-Therefore, some animals that can swim are not fish.

-Some A are B

-None of C are A

-Therefore, some of B are not C

The tendency for our beliefs to distort our logic

Clinging to that bias and refusing to accept evidence that refutes your beliefs is called Belief Perseverance.

Readiness to accept any evidence that supports your beliefs is called Confirmation Bias.