COGNITION All of the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, & communicating Cognitive psychologists study these activities & problem solving, decision making, judgments…

Let’s Think about Thinking Concepts (schemas): A mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people usually based on prototypes-a mental image/best example of a category Ex: prejudice If we study the way we think, maybe we can think “better”

Problem Solving

Algorithms A logical rule/procedure that guarantees solving a problem Usually by using a formula They work but are sometimes impractical

Heuristics A rule of thumb that can generally, but not always, be used as a fast way to make a judgment to solve a problem It’s like a mental short cut BUT… Prone to errors Two major types of heuristics….

Representativeness Heuristic Judging a situation based on how similar the aspects are to the prototypes we hold in our minds Like thinking everyone from New Jersey tans, or someone with glasses is nerdy, or a blonde is not smart If I tell you that Sonia Dara is a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, you would make certain quick judgments (heuristics) about her…like about her interests or intelligence. She is an economics major at Harvard University. Who went to Harvard?

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 even though reality is different – Ex: terrorism Which place would you be more scared of getting mugged or even murdered? The Bronx, NY Gary, Indiana The crime rate of Gary, Indiana is MUCH higher than the Bronx. But when you think of crime, which town comes to mind? I realize the Bronx picture is misleading.

DEATH!!! Deaths 1.All accidents vs. Strokes 2.Suicide vs. Blood Poisoning 3.Diabetes vs. Homicide 4.Car accidents vs. Colon Cancer 5.Drowning vs. Leukemia Higher Population 1.Vietnam vs. South Africa 2.Sri Lanka vs. Libya vs. 57.4… STROKES! vs. 11.3…Blood Poisoning! vs. 7.1…Diabetes! vs. 18.9…Colon Cancer! vs. 7.8…Leukemia! 1.83million vs. 43 million…Vietnam! million vs. 6 million…Sri Lanka! Per 100,000 people

With a partner, create your own situational algorithm and heuristic Ex: You are searching for hot chocolate at the grocery store. – Algorithm: you search every supermarket aisle (guarantees you will find it) – Heuristic: check the breakfast, baking supplies, and beverage aisles (speedier but sometimes incorrect)

Hurdles to problem solving

Heuristics can lead to Overconfidence… Overconfidence: the tendency to be more confident than correct -we overestimate how accurate our beliefs are -our confidence is not a good indicator of how right we are Famous examples : – Hitler invading Russia – LBJ invading Vietnam – You assume how long an assignment will take Let’s see how confident we are in who is telling the truth! (Orange binder CH9 P17)

For each of the following, give % how confident you are in your answer 1.What % of accused felons plead insanity? 2. What % of convictions are obtained through a trial instead of plea bargain? 1.Less than 1% insanity, 25% are acquitted 2. Less than 10% by trial, over 90% by plea bargain

Functional Fixedness & Mental Set Functional Fixedness: The inability to see a new use for an object – Can’t see from a fresh perspective Mental Set: the tendency to only use solutions that have worked for you in the past to solve a problem – Ex: A child opens the door to a store by pulling on it. He later insists on pulling the door handle of any similar-looking door to open it, and is puzzled that some of them must be pushed Think of as many uses as you can for a ……

Other Obstacles Confirmation Bias: We look for evidence to confirm our beliefs and ignore evidence that contradicts them – Ex: you ignore all the science b/c you don’t believe in Global Warming – Ex: Trayvon Martin case Belief Perseverance- clinging to your belief even after it has been proven wrong – Ex: You continue smoking even though research shows it is definitely connected to lung cancer

Framing 90% of the population will be saved with this medication…..or 10% of the population will die despite this medication. The way an issue is posed – the way a problem is presented can drastically effect the way we view it – Ex: Would you choose this doctor?

CREATIVITY Creativity: the ability to produce new & valuable ideas Convergent Thinking: focusing on one answer Divergent Thinking: considering multiple answers