Cognition (Thinking) Mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

Concepts (schemas) = mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people …usually based on prototypes (mental image or best example of a category) A robin is a prototype of a bird, a penguin is not.

S P L O Y O C H Y G Algorithms A rule (step-by-step procedure) that guarantees the right solution to a problem. They work but are sometimes impractical. S P L O Y O C H Y G If we were to unscramble these letters to form a word using an algorithmic approach, we would face 907,200 possibilities.

S P L O Y O C H Y G P S Y C H O L O G Y P S L O Y O C H G Y Heuristics Heuristics are a mental “short cut” A rule of thumb that generally, but not always, can be used to make a judgment to solve a problem. It is fast, but is… Prone to errors Two major types of heuristics…we’ll talk about those later. S P L O Y O C H Y G P S Y C H O L O G Y P S L O Y O C H G Y S P L O Y O C H G Y Rule out “YY” combinations Put a Y at the end, and see if the word begins to make sense.

Insight Sudden and often novel realization of the solution to a problem Contrasts with strategy-based solutions Both humans and animals have insight

Creativity makes good advertising. Creativity (divergent thinking) Ability to produce ideas that are both novel and valuable Creativity makes good advertising.

Obstacles to Problem Solving Confirmation Bias - seeking info that supports our preconceptions, ignoring contradictory evidence WMDs?

Obstacles to Problem Solving Fixation – unable to see problem from fresh perspective Mental set – approach problem in one particular way that has been successful in the past The Matchstick Problem: How would you arrange six matches to form four equilateral triangles?

The Matchstick Problem: Solution From “Problem Solving” by M. Scheerer. Copyright © 1963 by Scientific American, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Obstacles to Problem Solving Functional Fixedness – tendency to think of things only for their usual functions All he needed was a ball-point pen and a paper clip.

Representativeness Heuristic Judging a situation based on how similar the aspects are to the prototypes the person holds in their mind. Like thinking everyone from Lake Forest is preppy, or someone with glasses is nerdy, or a blonde is not smart.

Availability Heuristic Judging a situation based on examples of similar situations that initially come to mind. Vivid examples in the news often cause an availability heuristic.

Heuristics can lead to Overconfidence… Our confidence is not a good indicator of how right we are. Belief Perseverance- maintaining a belief even after it has been proven wrong. Belief Bias- People will tend to accept any and all conclusions that fit in with their systems of belief, without challenge or any deep consideration of what they are actually agreeing with. This is going to be disaster, and you have no one to blame but yourself. I will accept that some good ice skaters are not professional hockey players, but will reject an assertion that some professional hockey players are not good ice skaters (which, although it seems unlikely, is possible).

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. What is the best way to market ground beef — as 25% fat or 75% lean? The way a problem is presented can drastically effect the way we view it.

Perils & Powers of Intuition Intuition may be perilous if unchecked, but may also be extremely efficient and adaptive. “Intuition’s Dozen Deadly Sins”, or the seven we have actually covered so far: Hindsight Bias, Illusory Correlation, Memory Construction, Representativeness and Availability Heuristics, Overconfidence, Belief Perseverence and Confirmation Bias, and Framing. Preview Question 4: How do smart thinkers use intuition?