Sit where you want. Don’t touch ANYTHING on your table.

Marshmallow Challenge!!!! Build the Tallest Freestanding Structure: The winning team is the one that has the tallest structure measured from the table top surface to the top of the marshmallow. That means the structure cannot be taped to the floor or suspended from a higher structure, like a chair, ceiling or chandelier. The Entire Marshmallow Must be on Top: The entire marshmallow needs to be on the top of the structure. Cutting or eating part of the marshmallow disqualifies the team.  Use as Much or as Little of the Kit: The team can use as many or as few of the 20 spaghetti sticks, as much or as little of the string or tape. The team cannot use the paper bag as part of their structure. Break up the Spaghetti, String or Tape: Teams are free to break the spaghetti, cut up the tape and string to create new structures. The Challenge Lasts 18 minutes: Teams cannot hold on to the structure when the time runs out. Those touching or supporting the structure at the end of the exercise will be disqualified. If your structure falls before or after it is measured, you are disqualified.

AP Psychology Ms. Brown Myers, Ch. 10 Thinking & Cognition AP Psychology Ms. Brown Myers, Ch. 10

Thinking Cognition – the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating Cognitive psychologists study and emphasize how we form concepts, solve problems, make decisions, and form judgements Ex: Piaget and his cognitive development stages

Concepts A schema; a mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people. Hierarchies – further dividing concepts into smaller groups Students probably had a general concept for what a building should consist of – a base, pillars to support the top, all based on geometric shapes. MMC – even though all of the towers looked different, you all have a schema for what a building should consist of – a base, pillars to create height and support the top, etc

Prototypes A mental image or best example of a schema or category. The further we move away from prototypes, boundaries of concepts become fuzzier. People whose heart attack symptoms (shortness of breath, exhaustion, dull weight in chest) don’t match their prototype of a heart attack (sharp chest pain) may not seek help. MMC – everyone’s structures looked somewhat similar as you all shared a common prototype for what a freestanding structure should look like. Everyone’s structures probably look similar – sharing similar prototypes about what a freestanding structure should look like.

Problem Solving To solve problems, we must use COGNITION!

Algorithm A methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees a solution for a particular problem EX: recipes, formulas, trial-and-error Pros: always correct Cons: time consuming

Heuristic A simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgements and solve problems quickly Based largely on what has been successful in the past for solving that particular problem EX: rule of thumb, common sense, educated guess Pros: quick, efficient Cons: error-prone MMC: when pressed for time, you used heuristics to design the tower and most of you were unsuccessful 

Make 4 equilateral triangles from these 6 matches.

Obstacles to Problem Solving Fixation - Inability to see a problem from a new perspective Mental set - a tendency to approach a problem in a particular way often a way that has been successful in the past Predisposes how we think Ex: couldn’t think in 3 dimensions Students probably fixated on a certain solving method, even if it was unsuccessful. MMC: You probably fixated on a certain solving method, even if it was unsuccessful.

Insight A sudden and often novel realization of the solution to a problem Contrasts with strategy-based solutions Right temporal lobe Satisfaction Students probably experienced a moment of sudden insight – an Aha moment – when constructing their marshmallow buildings. MMC: You probably experienced a moment of sudden insight – an Aha moment – when constructing your marshmallow structure.

Metacognition Thinking about thinking Ex: reflecting on best study habits Ex: How have I solved this similar problem before? MMC: You probably used metacognition before building your tower, asking, “Have I solved a similar problem before?” etc Reflecting on what went right and wrong in the constructing of our marshmallow buildings, we can practice metacognition Students probably used metacognition before building their buildings, asking themselves, “Have I solved a similar problem before?” etc Reflecting on what went right and wrong in the constructing of our marshmallow buildings, we can practice metacognition

Making Decisions and Forming Judgements Cognitive Phenomena

Framing “aid to the needy” “welfare” The way an issue is posed How an issue is framed can significantly affect decisions and judgments Those who understand the powers of framing questions can use framing to influence a particular viewpoint. “aid to the needy” “welfare”

Using/Misusing Heuristics Representativeness Heuristic Availability Heuristic Judging the likelihood of things in terms of how well they seem to represent or match particular prototypes Ex: trucker vs professor estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory; if events come readily in mind, then we presume such events are common Ex: 9/11 and flying Representativeness heuristic example: A person is short and slim and likes to read poetry. Is this person more likely a professor of classics at an Ivy League school or a truck driver? At first we would probably say this person is a professor, however, there are probably many more truck drivers (statistically) that meet this description Availability heuristic example: Last month you would have considered your neighborhood to be a pretty safe place, however after a random spree of crime in your neighborhood, you hear a report of a stolen car and immediately think it’s your car.

Do We Fear the Right Things? Why do we fear a less likely terrorist attack more than a more likely car accident? We fear what our ancestral history has prepared us to fear. We fear what we cannot control. We fear what is immediate. We fear what is most readily available in memory (availability heuristic).

Confirmation Bias a tendency to search for information that confirms one’s preconceptions

Belief Perseverance Clinging to one’s initial conceptions even after being presented with contradictory information. Contradictory info often makes people even more defensive of prior beliefs.

Overconfidence the tendency to be more confident than correct to overestimate the accuracy of one’s beliefs and judgments MMC: It sounded easy at first, right?

Mount the candle to a bulletin board using the following:

Functional Fixedness the tendency to think of things only in terms of their usual functions How could the supplies (marshmallow, spaghetti, tape, and string) be used different?

Convergent vs. Divergent Thinking Convergent Thinking Divergent Thinking Thinking limited to available facts and working towards 1 correct solution Great for clear, concise problems. Algorithms Thinking that attempts to generate multiple solutions to a problem Needed for real-world applications of problem-solving practices The kindergarteners in the Marshmallow Challenge displayed divergent thinking and the openness to failure. As we age, traditional schooling diminishes this ability and we focus more on convergent thinking. MMC: The kindergarteners in the Marshmallow Challenge displayed divergent thinking and the openness to failure. As we age, traditional schooling diminishes this ability and we focus more on convergent thinking.

Intuition and Problem Solving Even though intuition is not always reliable, it allows us to make quick decisions and judgments that are born of experience and beliefs. Smart thinkers should welcome intuition, but realize its limitations to overcome overconfidence, and biased and illogical thinking. Crash Course - Cognition